Among the traditional
Magpies, there Appear to be two distinct lineages: one consists of
Holarctic species with black / white coloration and is probably closely related to Eurasian Crows and jays.
The Azure-winged
Magpie is a species with a most peculiar distribution and unclear relationships. Either the
North American, Korean, and remaining Eurasian forms are accepted as three or four separate species, or there exists only a single species, Pica pica.