Javan green magpie

Cissa thalassina

NZ Javans 05 21 ONB LR
IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Birds
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae

Our stunning Javan green magpie can be found in our Gems of the Jungle exhibit.

This brightly coloured songbird is endemic to forests on the Indonesian island of Java.

The majority of their diet is made up of insects and frogs, which gives the magpie their vibrant green plumage.

Interesting facts!

  • Javan green magpies are born with a blue plumage, however this will turn green after their first moulting due to a pigment called lutein in their diets.
  • Javan green magpies are from the Corvid family, closely related to Crows, which means that they’re very intelligent and inquisitive birds.

Conservation

Javan green magpies face the huge threats of habitat loss and degradation, driven by agricultural expansion, logging and mining in their native range. The species is also illegally poached for the songbird trade.

In Indonesia, people believe that owning a pet bird is a status symbol, these beautiful birds, along with many others, can be bought in bird markets where they are kept in terrible conditions. Because of this, Javan green magpies are now classed as Critically Endangered, with sadly what is thought to be less than 100 of these birds left in the wild.