IDENTIFICATION

31-32 cm. Crow-like bird with large head and strong black bill. Flies with slow but powerful wing-beats. Sexes alike.

Adult has head, neck and underparts light blue, whitish area around base of bill, and short, thin blackish stripe through the eye. Upperparts brown, with dark blue back, rump and tail-coverts. In flight, black primaries and secondaries contrast with blue upperwing coverts; underwing coverts are paler blue, contrasting more strongly with black remiges when seen from below. Tail greenish-blue with darker base. First-winters are duller.

VOCALISATIONS

Harsh ‘kyaar’ or ‘kyeear’.

OCCURRENCE

The sole record is of a first-year bird seen near Black Point Power Station, Tuen Mun on 5 October 2010 (Stanton 2012).

BEHAVIOUR, FORAGING & DIET

The Hong Kong bird was seen perched on overhead power-lines, fences, and lamp-posts, occasionally sallying forth to prey on dragonflies and insects on a mown grassy embankment.

SYSTEMATICS & RANGE

Breeds from northwest Africa and western Europe east through central Asia to northwest China and southwest Siberia; winters in Africa. Two subspecies: C. g. semenowi breeds in Iraq and Iran east to Kashmir, north to Turkmenistan, central Kazakhstan and northwest China (west Xinjiang); it winters in east Africa south of the Sahara and is presumed to be the taxon that has occurred in Hong Kong. C. g. garrulus breeds in northwest Africa, southwest, south-central and east Europe and Asia Minor east through northwest Iran to southwest Siberia; it winters in Africa south of the Sahara (Fry et al 2020).

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN: Least Concern. Population trend decreasing.