When we first arrived in Portugal everything I read about this magpie, including Portugal’s superb birding website Aves de Portugal, indicated it was the Cyanpica cyanus. A magpie that is usually only seen in eastern Asia. It was presumed that the Iberian ones was conspecific, and the most common theory was that they had arrived in Portugal with sailors during Portugal’s Age of Discovery. However the marvels of modern science (genetic testing) and a discovery of a fossil have determined that in fact the Iberian Azure-Winged Magpie is a distinct species. 
You’ll find the Iberian Azure-Winged Magpie in almost all areas south of the Tagus however it does seem to be more common in Spain. It is a highly gregarious bird and whilst you couldn’t tell from my photographs it has not been unusual for us to see them in large groups. Not sure I’ve seen the ten though for the ‘surprise you should be careful not to miss‘! They prefer open woodland, orchards and olive plantations but will also be seen in clearings and on roadsides if there is vegetation close by. And just in case you hadn’t worked it out from my photographs they have a glossy black head, noticeable white throat and light pinkish-fawn body. It is of course though the flashes of azure blue on their wings and long tail that make them such a striking bird.
