We continue our coverage of the real truth about the Corvid 19 with a move to the Indo-Chinese area, and more specifically in this case, Java.
We have looked at some well-known Corvids so far, but now we look at a little known one, uncharacteristically gaily coloured, so that one might think of a finch or other class of bird, but this is indeed a crow family member.
Unfortunately this particular one, the Javan green mapgpie, is highly endangered, with only 50 left in captivity, and none sighted of late in the wild.
We are presenting the info for each Corvid in a similar tabular form and there will be a publication available at the end of the series where you will be able to get hold of the combined table.
| Common Name | Javan Green Magpie |
| Other names | Ekek geling Jawa (local name) |
| German | Gruenelster |
| French | Pirolle à queue courte |
| Russian | Цисса |
| Polish | Kitta zielona jawańska |
| Scientific Name | Cissa thalassina |
| Number of species in the genus | 4 |
| Number of subspecies in this species | 0 |
| Literal meaning of Scientific name | Jay of the sea |
| Described by | Temminck, 1826 |
| First attested in literature | Temminck, 1826 |
| Wingspan (cm) | 40 |
| Length bill to tail (cm) | 30 |
| Distribution | Very limited locations in Java, if at all. |
| Remarks | This is one of four species of Cissa, or green magpies. As we saw in the case of the blue-jay, the word in Greek for jay was kitta, but another version ‘kissa’ also existed at certain periods of the language, and this is the form that gives this genus its name, although Polish retains the other Greek spelling for their version of the common name. Unfortunately many of these beautiful birds are nearly extinct, and only 50 individuals of this bird at the most are thought to exist, possibly none in the wild, with the remaining hope resting with breeding programs in captivity. Their diet is fully carnivorous, with a large proportion of insects, and the protein lutein which gives them their green pigment cannot be produced if this element of their diet is missing, and the birds retain their initial blue plumage. |
| Migrations | Not migratory |
| Sexual dimorphism | Barley distinguishable. Juveniles have a more bluish tint and their beak only reddens on maturity. |
| Close relatives | The other three Cissa species are Cissa chinensis, the common green magpie, with 5 subspecies, the Bornean green magpie (also known as the sort tailed green magpie) C. jeffreyi, and the Indochinese green magpie, C. hypoleuca, which is in fact blue rather than green, but gets called “green magpie” because it is in the Green Magpie family, in much the same way as a person with the name “William Brown” would not need necessarily to wear or be that colour. |
| Not close relatives thought to be close | It’s a rather disctinctive bird, so it is not really mistaken for unrelated species. Some confusion exists between this species and the short-tailed green magpie, which is closely related, but not a subspecies as first thought. In some sources the two species are still treated that way. |
| Cultural significance | Despite their ornate and iconic appearance, little use has been made of these green magpies in terms of mascots and heraldry. The song of the Javan green magpie was considered one reason for its ravages into the pet trade, a main reason along with habitat destruction, for its current critically endangered status. |