Magpies are in the Corvid family, meaning they are related to crows and jackdaws. The Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyana) is similar in overall shape to the European Magpie (Pica pica) but is a more slender bird with proportionately smaller legs and bill. It has a glossy black top to the head and a white throat. The underparts and the back are a light grey-fawn in colour with the wings and the long tail feathers a beautiful azure blue.
They hold their tails up high when they are on the ground. The young Magpies have a pale appearance, very short and have stubby tails. It inhabits various types of forests, including parks and gardens.
Interestingly, they are found in China and on the Korean Peninsula, and in Portugal and Spain -- but not in between. It occurs in two population groups separated by a huge geographical region between. One camp insisted that this odd distribution was because Portuguese sailors the bird to the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century.