Pica (genus)
Hudsonelster ( Pica hudsonia )
The Real magpies ( Pica ) are a genus of the family of corvids ( Corvidae ). They have long, graduated tails and black and white colors with iridierendem blue-green sheen. The range of the genus includes the temperate North Africa, Eurasia and North America. The food of the Magpies rights is very diverse, as with most corvids and is mostly taken up by them on the ground.
- 3.1 Literature
- 3.2 External links
- 3.3 Notes and references
Features
True magpies are slender, medium-sized corvids with characteristic plumage drawing. The largest member of the genus is the Magpie subspecies P. pica bottanensis from the western Himalayas. It reaches a wing length of 244-265 mm. The smallest real Elster is the Yellow -billed Magpie ( P. nuttalli ) with a wing length of 173-196 mm. All species show a very homogeneous appearance with almost matching color and similar proportions. Beak and legs are black in almost all species. Only the Yellow -billed Magpie falls with its yellow beak and the same color background eyespot from the frame.
System
Outer systematics
The Real magpies belong within the corvids to a group of genera that have arisen in the ancient world. Their closest relatives are two monotypic genera from northern Africa, the Akazienhäher ( Zavattariornis ) and the Piapias ( Ptilostomus ) and the wüstenbewohnenden Saxaulhäher ( Podoces ). The Magpies are basal in this clade and are more likely tied to temperate, wooded areas, while the younger genera have increasingly adapted to hot, dry habitats with sparse vegetation.
True magpies ( Pica )
Akazienhäher ( Zavattariornis )
Piapias ( Ptilostomus )
Saxaulhäher ( Podoces )
Inside systematics
The external similarity of the Real magpies with each other meant that with the exception of the Yellow -billed Magpie ( P. nuttalli ) all forms for a long time as a subspecies of Palaearctic magpie ( P. pica ) were considered. On the basis of similarities in behavior and physique with the Yellow -billed Magpie, the Black -billed Magpie ( P. hudsonia ) was elevated to the species rank, as they would thus be related less closely with the magpie than expected. Analyzes of mitochondrienalen DNA also revealed that the Korean Magpie ( P. sericea ) is from eastern China and the lower Amur region basal in the genus, which is less closely related to the other species than these with each other. An extinct island form of the Real magpies Pica existed with mourerae in Majorca at least to the early Pleistocene. Their systematic position is not yet clear, but the geographical proximity to the Elster suggests a close relationship.
Korean Magpie ( Pica sericea )
Hudsonelster ( Pica hudsonia )
Yellow -billed Magpie ( Pica nuttalli )
Magpie ( Pica pica )
The genetic difference between the Korean magpie and the rest of the genus probably results from a geographic isolation of the two species that existed in the Spätpliozän. This could well have been tectonic and volcanic activity, which prevented an exchange between Korean and Chinese populations. The Black and Yellow -billed Magpie is likely derive from a common ancestor that penetrated to North America via the Bering Strait, where it was isolated during the last ice ages in two different areas by the glaciers of the Rocky Mountains. This eventually led to the two existing types today. The radiation within the Real magpies took place in total a very short time. All of today's development lines parted in the middle Pleistocene of each other. Since the rights magpies are related to each other very close, they could be grouped into conservative taxonomic concepts into a kind Pica pica. However, is offset by behavioral differences between old and New World species and previously missing reports of hybrids.