The Indochinese green magpie (Cissa hypoleuca) or yellow-breasted magpie, is a passerine bird of the crow family, Corvidae. It is native to mainland southeast Asia (Indochina) and adjacent China.
This species' yellow undersides make it distinct from the other species in its genus.
They have russet coloured wings, with green shoulders, back, head and tail. They also have a thick black band marking from the bill, all the way round the head. The beak, legs and eye rings of this species are a vivid red, while their eyes are a very dark brown.
As with all magpies in the Cissa genus, their green (and yellow) plumage is due to a combination of the pigment lutein, and structural coloration. Their feathers fade to the structural blue if the bird has a diet insufficient in lutein[2], which is not produced by the body.
Normal plumage with yellow underbelly The Indochinese green magpie (Cissa hypoleuca) or yellow-breasted magpie, is a passerine bird of the crow family, Corvidae. It is native to mainland southeast Asia (Indochina) and adjacent China.
This species' yellow undersides make it distinct from the other species in its genus.
They have russet coloured wings, with green shoulders, back, head and tail. They also have a thick black band marking from the bill, all the way round the head. The beak, legs and eye rings of this species are a vivid red, while their eyes are a very dark brown.
As with all magpies in the Cissa genus, their green (and yellow) plumage is due to a combination of the pigment lutein, and structural coloration. Their feathers fade to the structural blue if the bird has a diet insufficient in lutein, which is not produced by the body.
