CreatureData

Asir magpie

Pica asirensis G. L. Bates, 1936

ENEndangeredsongbirds

The asir magpie (Pica asirensis) is a species in the family Corvidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 200 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Asir magpie (Pica asirensis)
Photo: Jan Ebr · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the asir magpie

Weight
200 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
human_modifiedsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the asir magpie live?

Not recorded

What is the asir magpie?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Asir magpie (Pica asirensis), also known as the Arabian magpie, is a highly endangered species of magpie endemic to Saudi Arabia. It is only found in the country's southwestern highlands, in the Asir Mountains. It occurs only in African juniper forest in well-vegetated wadis and valleys. It was originally described as a subspecies of the Eurasian magpie as Pica pica asirensis, and still is by some authorities. This species is highly threatened by habitat destruction, as its native forests are not regenerating. Tourism development and climate change are also posing a threat. Only 135 pairs (270 mature individuals) are known to survive in the wild, and this number is declining.

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the Asir magpie was a sister taxon to the black-rumped magpie of the Tibetan Plateau, with which it also shares a black rump, unlike the other Pica magpies.

From the Wikipedia article “Asir magpie” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Asir_magpie&oldid=1362871158), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the asir magpie endangered?

The asir magpie is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species. What the categories mean.

How is the asir magpie classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCorvidae
  6. genusPica
  7. SpeciesPica asirensis G. L. Bates, 1936

Synonyms Pica pica asirensis

Other names and names in other languages (35)
  • Arabian magpieEnglish
  • عقعق عربيArabic
  • عقعق عسيريArabic
  • straka asirskáCzech
  • straka severoafrickáCzech
  • Asir HusskadeDanish
  • AsirelsterGerman
  • Arabische ElsterGerman
  • arabia pigoEsperanto
  • Urraca árabeSpanish
  • araabia harakasEstonian
  • AsirinharakkaFinnish
  • Pie d'ArabieFrench
  • Pie d’ArabieFrench
  • Meaig na HaráibeIrish
  • Gazza arabaItalian
  • Gazza di AsirItalian
  • アラビアカササギJapanese
  • 아시르까치Korean
  • 아라비아까치Korean
  • arabinė šarkaLithuanian
  • Magpie AsirMalay
  • AsireksterDutch
  • asirskjæreNorwegian
  • sroka arabskaPolish
  • pega-árabePortuguese
  • pega-de-assirPortuguese
  • Аравийская сорокаRussian
  • straka arabskáSlovak
  • Arabijska svrakaSerbian
  • asirskataSwedish
  • Arabistan SaksağanıTurkish
  • сорока аравійськаUkrainian
  • 中东喜鹊Chinese
  • 阿拉伯喜鵲Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the asir magpie

Other species in the same genus Pica.

CompareAsir magpie vs Eurasian magpieAsir magpie vs Black-billed magpieAsir magpie vs Korean magpieAsir magpie vs Tibetan magpie

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the asir magpie?

An adult asir magpie weighs 200 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the asir magpie endangered?

The asir magpie is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the asir magpie?

The asir magpie (Pica asirensis) belongs to the family Corvidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Asir magpie (Pica asirensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/asir-magpie

MLA

“Asir magpie (Pica asirensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/asir-magpie.

BibTeX
@misc{asir_magpie_2026,
  title = {Asir magpie (Pica asirensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/asir-magpie},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}