Javan green magpie

The Javan green magpie (Cissa thalassina) is a passerine bird in the crow family, Corvidae. This critically endangered species is endemic to montane forests on the Indonesian island of Java.[1][2] It formerly included the Bornean green magpie as a subspecies, in which case the "combined" species was known as the short-tailed magpie.[2] The bright green plumage is the result of the yellow pigment lutein, which they gain from their insect diet.[3] They also feed on small lizards and frogs.[4] Initially juveniles are bluish, but they become green after their first moult.[5] In captivity, adults turn bluish if their diet is inadequate.[3]

A pair and their dark-beaked young at Prague Zoo, a part of the EAZA breeding program

Javan green magpie
Individual at Chester Zoo
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Corvidae
Genus:	Cissa
Species:	C. thalassina
Binomial name
Cissa thalassina (Temminck, 1826)

Once common, the species has declined drastically as a result of habitat loss and illegal capture for the wild animal trade.[3] The size of the remaining wild population is unknown, but perhaps only around 50 individuals,[3] while others speculate that the lack of recent sightings might mean that it already is extinct in the wild.[4] In an attempt at saving the species, a captive breeding program based on confiscated individuals has been initiated by the Cikananga Wildlife Center in Java (since 2011) and a few European EAZA zoos (since 2015).[3][5] It has successfully bred at both the Javan and European facilities,[4][5] and as of 2018 this captive population had reached about 50 individuals.[6]