This is bird note.

An Indochine-Chine-Chine-

An Indochinese green magpie bows and raises its long tail. Such a beautiful bird should take a bow.

We're in Southeast Asia and unlike the black and white magpies of open landscapes in the

American West, this forest bird is vivid green with

bright red wings and a red beak. Another stunning magpie,

magpie, rich rusty brown and dark blue,

is the Sri Lanka blue magpie which lives only in the islands tropical forest canopy.

All together there are five blue-feathered magpies

and four green, all living in warm zones of South and East Asia. Nine species are

predominantly black and white, but a small exquisite group has azure wings and

powder gray bodies.

While these groups are not all closely related, they are all part of the same family as

crows and jays, and they are among the most intelligent of birds.

But these brilliantly colored magpies,

they've got brains and beauty.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.