Maghreb magpie | |
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In Souss-Massa, Morocco | |
Marrakech, Morocco | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Corvidae |
Genus: | Pica |
Species: | P. mauritanica
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Binomial name | |
Pica mauritanica Malherbe, 1845
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Range of P. mauritanica Resident
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The Maghreb magpie (Pica mauritanica) is a species of magpie found in North Africa from Morocco east to Tunisia.[1] It can be distinguished from the Eurasian magpie by the patch of blue skin behind its eye, the narrower white belly, the shorter wings, and the longer tail.[2]
A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the Maghreb magpie was sister to a clade containing all the other members of the genus Pica.[3]
In recent years, the population of Maghreb magpie in Tunisia has been experiencing a decline. Research has shown that the cause of this is nest failure, mainly due to the depredation of nestlings by the southern grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis).[4]