Cyanopica cooki
Cyanopica cooki
This is an Iberian endemic species (Keller et al., 2020; Equipa Atlas, 2022; BirdLife International, 2024). In Spain, it occurs mainly in the central and southwestern quadrant, with optimal habitats in large Mediterranean forests such as holm oak and cork oak dehesas in Extremadura and western Andalusia. Its range extends slightly northwards (southern Palencia, Burgos, and eastern Soria) and there are some breeding populations in enclaves in the eastern peninsula (Bonal in SEO/BirdLife, 2022).
In Madrid, it is restricted to the western Mediterranean half, occupying pre-mountain and mountain areas, and is absent from deforested ecosystems and the eastern part of the region (Díaz et al., 1994).
Within the National Park, it is detected only in the southern–southeastern part, in the piedmont below the Sierra de los Porrones and the Maliciosa peak, and in the southern area of La Pedriza. It is frequent in lower-altitude, gentle-slope, and warmer areas, where mixed shrubland with Mediterranean arboreal vegetation, mainly holm oaks and junipers, predominates.
It is not strictly a forest species, but requires open or semi-open wooded areas, occupying holm oak and cork oak dehesas, olive groves, orchards, thinned pine forests, and sometimes riparian zones. Its preferred habitat is dehesa woodland of holm oaks or cork oaks. It also uses juniper and savin forests (Palomino et al., 2011; De la Cruz and Valencia, 2016).
Its highest abundance in the National Park is found in mixed forests with holm oaks and junipers, and in shrubland areas with scattered trees in the southern part.
At a global scale, it is classified as Least Concern (LC; 2017). In Europe, it would also fall under the same category (LC; 2021). In Spain, it is considered Least Concern on the 2021 Red List.
The Catalogue of Threatened Species of the Community of Madrid (1992) does not list this species in any threat category.
BirdLife International 2024. IUCN Red List for birds. https://datazone.birdlife.org.
Díaz, M., Martí, R., Gómez-Manzaneque, Á. y Sánchez, A. 1994. Atlas de las aves nidificantes en Madrid. Agencia de Medio Ambiente y SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.
Keller, V., Herrando, S., Voříšek, P., Franch, M., Kipson, M., Milanesi, P., Martí, D., Antón, M., Klvaňová, A., Kalyakin, M. V. Bauer, H. Gr y Foppen, R. P. B. 2020. European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. European Birds Census Council y Lynx Edicions. Barcelona.
De la Cruz, C. y Valencia, J. 2016. Rabilargo–Cyanopica cooki. En Salvador, A. y Morales, M. B. (eds.): Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Madrid.
Equipa Atlas 2022. III Atlas das aves nidificantes em Portugal (2016-2021). SPEA/BirdLife, ICNF, LabOr/UÉ, IFCN. Lisboa.
Palomino D., Carrascal, L. M. y Potti, J. 2011. Distribution of Azure-winged Magpies Cyanopica cooki in Spain: both local and large-scale factors considered. Acta Ornithologica, 46: 71-82.
SEO/BirdLife (Molina, B., Nebreda, A., Muñoz, A. R., Seoane, J., Real, R., Bustamante, J. y Del Moral, J. C., eds.) 2022. III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.