Cyanocorax


Cyanocorax is a genus of New World jays, passerine birds in the family Corvidae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words κυανος, meaning "dark blue," and κοραξ, meaning "raven".
It contains several closely related species that primarily are found in wooded habitats of Mexico and Central and South America, with the green jay just barely entering the United States.
The genus Cyanocorax was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826, with the plush-crested jay as the type species.

Species

The genus contains 17 species:
ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Cyanocorax melanocyaneusBushy-crested jayGuatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua
Cyanocorax sanblasianusSan Blas jayMexico
Cyanocorax yucatanicusYucatan jayYucatán Peninsula
Cyanocorax beecheiiPurplish-backed jaynorthwestern Mexico
Cyanocorax violaceusViolaceous jayBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela
Cyanocorax caeruleusAzure jaysouth-eastern Brazil, far eastern Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina
Cyanocorax cyanomelasPurplish jaynorthern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay and southeastern Peru
Cyanocorax cristatellusCurl-crested jaynortheastern Brazil
Cyanocorax dickeyiTufted jaySierra Madre Occidental of Sinaloa and Durango in Mexico
Cyanocorax affinisBlack-chested jayColombia, northwestern Venezuela, Panama and far eastern Costa Rica
Cyanocorax mystacalisWhite-tailed jayEcuador and Peru
Cyanocorax cayanusCayenne jayBrazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela
Cyanocorax heilpriniAzure-naped jayBrazil, Colombia, and Venezuela
Cyanocorax chrysopsPlush-crested jaysouthwestern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina
Cyanocorax cyanopogonWhite-naped jayBrazil
Cyanocorax luxuosusGreen jaysouthern Texas to Honduras
Cyanocorax yncasInca jayColombia and Venezuela through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia

Some ornithologists treat the green jay and the Inca jay as conspecific, with C. yncas luxuosus as the green jay and C. yncas yncas as the Inca jay.