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Pica pica

Basic information
Scientific name Pica pica

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カササギ
Common names Magpie, Black-billed magpie, Korean magpie
Higher taxon Corvidae, Passeriformes, Aves
Natural range Entire Europe, NW Africa, SW Arabian Peninsula, temperate Asia, northern coast of Okhotsk, and W North America.
Habitat Farm area, urban area.
Invasion information
Range in Japan There are records of breedings in Hokkaido, Niigata, Nagano, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefs., and occurrences in Akita, Yamaga, Kanagawa, Fukui, Hyogo, Tottori, Shimane, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima Prefs., and Sadogashima and Tsushima Is. Although populations on Kyushu should be non-native, whether the other populations are native or not is unclear. Range in Japan
Origin Korean Peninsula
Date Late 16 C.
Route Deliberate:
Impact Potentially: Competition with native songbirds. In UK, increase of magpie causes decline of small songbirds. Nesting on electric pole sometimes causes short circuit.
Native organism(s) affected: Small songbirds.
Regulation in Japan No action for prevention, mitigation, control, or eradication.
Introduced range in other countries None.
Reference Notes
  • Biodiversity Center of Japan (ed) (2004) National Survey on the Natural Environment (Accessed on 2012-6-07) http://www.biodic.go.jp/reports2/6th/6_bird/index.html (in Jpn)
  • Eguchi & Amano (1999) Naturalization of exotic birds in Japan. Jpn J Ornithol. 47, 97-114 (in Jpn)
  • Eguchi & Amano (2004) Spread of exotic birds in Japan. Ornithol Sci. 3, 3-12.
  • Eguchi & Fujimaki (eds) (2000) Check-List of Japanese Birds Sixth Revised Edition. The Ornithological Society of Japan, Tokyo (in Jpn)
  • Eguchi & Kubo (1992) The origin of the magpie Pica pica sericea in JapanAn investigation of historical records. J Yamashina Inst Ornithol. 24, 32-39 (in Jpn with Englis abst)
  • Higuchi et al. (eds) (1997) The Encyclopedia of Animals in Japan 4 Birds II. Heibonsha, Tokyo (in Jpn)
  • Kawakami & Kanouchi (2012) The Handbook of Introduced Birds in Japan. Bun-ichi Sogo Shuppan, Tokyo (in Jpn)
  • Kiyosu (1978) The Birds of Japan. Kodansha, Tokyo (in Jpn)
  • Lepage (ed) (2003-2012) Avibase – the world bird database (Accessed on 2012-6-18) http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/
  • etc.