The Taiwan blue magpie (Urocissa caerulea) is a species of bird endemic to Taiwan. It has a black head, body with blue plumage and a pair of extra-long tail feathers. I was so thrilled to see a flock of Taiwan blue magpies in the Erziping Recreation Area in Yangmingshan National Park in Taiwan. Taiwan blue magpies are fierce, gregarious, territorial, omnivores and loud. As we sat and chatted by the woods, this Taiwanese blue magpie stared straight at us like a sentinel to protect more family members in the woods. Every once in a while, it also flew to the branches closer to our heads to protest so that we dared not act foolishly.
臺灣藍鵲是臺灣特有種鳥類。黑色的頭，藍色的身驅，並且有一對特長的尾羽。我在臺灣陽明山國家公園的二子坪遊憩區看到一群臺灣藍鵲，令我雀躍不已。臺灣藍鵲性兇悍，喜群聚，領地性強，雜食動物，鳴叫聲粗大而聒噪。當我們坐在樹林邊聊天時，這隻臺灣藍鵲像個哨兵站哨似的，直瞪著我們，保護在林子裏更多的家人，每隔一段時間還飛到更近我們頭上的樹枝來示威，讓我們不敢輕舉妄動。
Notes 筆記
- The Taiwan blue magpie (Urocissa caerulea), also called the Taiwan magpie, Formosan blue magpie, or the “long-tailed mountain lady”. It is a species of bird of the crow family. It is endemic to Taiwan.
- Taiwan blue magpies are mainly distributed in middle- and low-altitude broad-leaved forests. They are gregarious except for the breeding season and are usually found in groups of three to twelve. They are territorial.
- They often fly in a line, following each other and arranged in a certain order. This is sometimes called “long-tailed formation”.
- Their breeding season is from March to July each year. They are monogamous. They give birth about twice a year, laying about 3 to 8 eggs each time.
- Taiwan blue magpies are scavengers and omnivores. Their diet includes snakes, rodents, small insects, carrion, eggs and chicks of other birds, plants, fruits, and seeds.
- Taiwan blue magpie is the sacred bird of Taiwan aborigine Tsou, Thao, and Bunun peoples. In the common great flood myths of Taiwan Austronesian peoples, in Tsou, Thao, and Bunun sagas, the last surviving peoples escaped from the great flood to high mountain summits as the last refuge. The sacred bird Taiwan blue magpie sacrificed itself and helped the peoples to carry the last fire tinder from Yu Shan summit back to the peoples.
- 臺灣藍鵲又稱臺灣暗藍鵲、紅嘴山鵲、長尾山娘或長尾津仔等，它是烏鴉科的一種鳥類。為臺灣特有種鳥類。
- 臺灣藍鵲主要分布在中、低海拔闊葉林裡，除了繁殖季節外，它們都是群居的，通常以三到十二個為一組。且有非常明顯的保護領域傾向。
- 牠們的飛行時直線前進，且排列呈現出一定秩序。這有時被稱為“長尾型”。
- 牠們的繁殖季約在每年3月至7月，一夫一妻制。每年約生育二次，每次約產下3至8顆蛋。
- 台灣藍鵲是食腐動物和雜食動物。牠們的食物包括蛇、囓齒動物、小昆蟲、腐肉、雞蛋和其他鳥類的幼雛、植物、水果和種子。
- 臺灣藍鵲是臺灣原住民鄒、邵、布農等族的神鳥。在南島語族共有的大洪水神話中，很久以前族人因大洪水瀕臨滅族，臺灣藍鵲犧牲自己帶回火種挽救族人。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Taiwan blue magpie
- 百科知識: 台灣藍鵲[台灣特有鳥類]
- 維基百科: 台灣藍鵲
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