Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica), October 2018

Wow, I didnt' knew that existed subspecies of the common magpie with lilac bare skin around eyes! What a beauty!

@Kakapo I believe that the current popular opinion is that this is it's own species.

Nor when given that the genus Pica contains only two species, Pica pica and Pica nuttallii, and this is not nuttallii, hence it's Pica pica.

@Kakapo Since when? IUCN, HBW Alive, and eBird all list as it's own species Pica mauritanica. Some taxonomists still do classify it as a subspecies of Pica pica, but currently the popular opinion is as it's own species.

@Kakapo Shall we not get into this bag of worms again? @birdsandbats is correct that the current opinion is that it is a distinct species (and one basal to all other Pica, including nuttallii) so your circular logic* doesn't have a bearing on this fact.

Of course, you are free to ignore current opinion, but this doesn't change what the opinion is.



* I.e. saying that it cannot be a distinct species because Pica only contains two species, and that Pica only contains two species because this is not a distinct species

A great picture of one of my favourite species (that I see almost every day here). Behaviourally quite different from the Eurasian magpies I've observed in Spain, I feel.

@Zoo Tycooner FR

It goes without saying that if you have any more good photographs of wild individuals they will be very much appreciated

@TeaLovingDave I had already uploaded one to the Moroccan - Wildlife gallery as "Maghreb magpie - (Tifnit)" and just added two new pictures to the same gallery (although I'm afraid nothing too great as although they are a great species, they are quite skittish!).

@Zoo Tycooner FR

Excellent given the number of very nice native species/subspecies in Morocco, your contributions to the gallery are very valuable!