Sri Lanka Blue-Magpie

The Sri Lanka blue magpie, or Ceylon magpie, is a brightly coloured member of the crow family found only in Sri Lanka. It is 42 to 47 cm long, larger than a myna but smaller than a crow, with a sturdy bill. The plumage is bright blue with a reddish-brown or chestnut head, neck and wing, and the long graduated blue tail has a white tip. The bill, legs, feet and bare eye-ring are all vivid red. The sexes are alike, and juveniles are duller with a brown eye-ring (Wikipedia, species account).

It is adapted to hunting in the dense canopy, where it is highly active and nimble, and its flight is rather weak and rarely used over long distances. It lives in dense primary forest in the wet zone of southern Sri Lanka. Nationally Vulnerable (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).