Rare red-billed blue magpies spotted in SW China

Red-billed blue magpies were seen foraging in the snow in Yintiaoling Natural Reserve, located in southwest China's Chongqing City.

The red-billed blue magpie belongs to the Corvidae family and has one of the longest tails of any corvid. Widely distributed in southern and eastern China, the bird is well accustomed to city life. In China, the blue-winged creature has been an auspicious symbol for thousands of years and it is common to find the bird's image on paper cuts, New Year pictures and artworks.