The Common Green Magpie is native to northwestern India, Thailand, Malaysia and northwestern Borneo. It has a longer tail than other Green Magpies of Southeast Asia. Its wings are reddish brown with some black-striped white markings. It has a bold black bar through each eye from bill to nape, bright red bill, legs and eyerings. Its head and body plumage is usually bright green but can become turquoise-blue if it does not eat its customary insect diet providing yellow pigments. Like most magpies, it is an omnivore but prefers animal prey.

The Javan Green Magpie is native to the Indonesian Island of Java. It is similar to the Common Green but differences include a shorter tail and lack of black stripes on the white part of the maroon wing patch. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Bornean Green Magpie which has a white iris but it is now classed as a separate species.

The underplumage is white. It's body plumage also turns from bright green to turquoise-blue without adequate insect-derived yellow pigment in its diet.

It is critically endangered, mainly through capture for the Asian songbird trade. Being an accomplished mimic of other voices, it is highly-prized in local captive bird singing competitions. It may now be extinct in the wild; some estimates quote a wild population of less than 50 birds.