"The red-billed blue magpie is a typical mountain animal and is rarely seen in the flat areas of the southeastern plains of Beijing. Its breeding behavior has never been observed before," said Zhong Zhenyu, head of the Beijing Elk Ecological Experiment Center at the Beijing Institute of Science and Technology.

Recently, Zhong and his colleagues were overjoyed to observe the red-billed blue magpie breeding within the Elk Garden.

Red-billed blue magpies recorded in the Elk Garden [Photo/beijingetown.com.cn]

The red-billed blue magpie is in the "List of Terrestrial Wildlife with Important Ecological, Scientific, and Social Values" released by the State Forestry Administration and the 2013 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Version 3.1 as a species of Least Concern (LC). 

The upper body of the red-billed blue magpie is purplish-blue or light bluish-gray-brown, with a black head, red bill, red feet, and an exceptionally long tail. 

It's a beautiful bird with an attractive body shape and plumage. Moreover, it produces various sounds, calls and whistles, making it a lively and chatty little creature. It mainly inhabits mountain forests but is also found in bamboo groves, shrubby edges of forests, and village surroundings.

In Beijing, the red-billed blue magpie is commonly seen in mountainous areas and can also be found in parks not far from the mountains, such as the Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan Park. However, it is extremely rare in the flat areas of Tongzhou district, Daxing district, and Beijing E-Town in the southeastern plains. 

Red-billed blue magpies recorded in the Elk Garden [Photo/beijingetown.com.cn]

Therefore, in May 2022, when Zhong and others recorded four red-billed blue magpies arriving at the Elk Garden, they were extremely delighted. What made them even happier was that the four little birds decided to settle and stay there. 

Just recently, the staff was pleasantly surprised to discover that the birdlings appeared in front of the automatic infrared camera. Immediately, the adult red-billed blue magpies flew over to interact with their kids. The birdlings fluttered their wings rapidly in front of the adults, displaying typical behavior interpreted as begging for food.

"This is the first breeding record of red-billed blue magpies in Elk Garden." Staff of the Elk Garden were not only excited about the new additions to Beijing E-Town bird family, but also recognized that birds serve as a barometer for the local ecological environment. 

Beijing E-Town has consistently attached great importance to biodiversity conservation, continuously improving the biodiversity system, optimizing conservation models, and enhancing biodiversity protection levels.