Yucatan Jay
Cyanocorax yucatanicus
The Yucatan Jay (Cyanocorax yucatanicus) is a uncommon crows, jays, and magpi found in 3 countries, weighing about 118 g. The Yucatan jay is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and their allies.
About the Yucatan Jay
The Yucatan jay is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and their allies. It is native to the Yucatán Peninsula where its habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, plantations and cleared areas at altitudes up to 250 m (820 ft). Adults are about 30 cm (12 in) long, black, with blue wings, mantle, and tail, black bills, yellow eye rings and legs. Immature birds have yellow bills. This is a common species of jay with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The adult Yucatan jay has a black head, nape, and underparts. The back, wings, and tail are a sharp blue colour. It has black irises, black eye rings, a black beak, and yellow legs and feet. There is no difference between the sexes. The Yucatan jay is visually unique within its range, with no similar species. Outside of its range, it is similar to the San Blas jay, the purplish-backed jay, and the bushy-crested jay. All three have a yellow iris whereas the Yucatan jay has a black iris, and are a brighter shade of blue on their upperparts.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Yucatan Jay can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Yucatan Jay?
- The adult Yucatan jay has a black head, nape, and underparts. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Yucatan Jay?
- The Yucatan Jay is a medium sized bird weighing about 118 g.
- Where can you see a Yucatan Jay?
- The Yucatan Jay occurs in 3 countries, including Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.
- What birds look similar to a Yucatan Jay?
- The Yucatan Jay is most easily confused with the Purplish Jay, the Bushy-crested Jay and the Curl-crested Jay.
- Is the Yucatan Jay endangered?
- The Yucatan Jay is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Yucatan Jay for real
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