Red-billed blue magpies seen inside nature reserve in SW China's Chongqing

Several red-billed blue magpies were recently captured foraging in the snow in the Yintiaoling National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

Red-billed blue magpies are seen in the Yintiaoling National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Chinanews.com/courtesy of the Yintiaoling National Nature Reserve)

Red-billed blue magpies belong to the corvidae family, and live in the over 20,000 hectare nature reserve in Wuxi county, Chongqing. With a body length of between 54 and 65 centimeters, the bird has a red bill and red feet, a black head, neck, and chest, and a long tail with black or white marking.

Although they don’t appear large, red-billed blue magpies can be very fierce, especially during the breeding season, hence their nickname: the "angry bird".

Red-billed blue magpies are seen in the Yintiaoling National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Chinanews.com/courtesy of the Yintiaoling National Nature Reserve)

Red-billed blue magpies are widely distributed and their population remains steady. The birds have been put on China's list of terrestrial wild animals of significant ecological, scientific, and social value.

Red-billed blue magpies are seen in the Yintiaoling National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Chinanews.com/courtesy of the Yintiaoling National Nature Reserve)