Purplish Jay (Cyanocorax cyanomelas)

Order: Passeriformes | Family: Corvidae | IUCN Status: Least Concern

purplish_jay
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Madre de Dios, Peru

purplish_jay
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Madre de Dios, Peru

purplish_jay
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Madre de Dios, Peru

purplish_jay
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Madre de Dios, Peru

Identification & Behavior: ~36.5 cm (14.3 in). The Purplish Jay is bluish-purple with a black mask that extends to the breast. It forages in family groups at various sections of the forest in Amazonia but mostly at forest edges. It is very similar to the Violaceous Jay but is distinguished by a mostly purplish plumage without the pale nape and back of the neck. These two jays overlap only in southeast Peru.

Status: The Purplish Jay is uncommon and southeast Peru in the department of Madre de Dios where it is known to range up to 1000 m along the foothill of the Andes. It also occurs in Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Urraca Purpúrea.

Sub-species: Purplish Jay (Cyanocorax cyanomelas), (Vieillot), 1818.

Meaning of Name: Cyanocorax: Gr. kuanos, cyaneus= dark-blue and korax, korakos= raven, crow. cyanomelas: Gr. kuanos= dark-blue and melas, melanos= dark, black.

See more of the Family Corvidae peru aves

Distribution Map
purplish_jayVoice

References:

    • Species range based on: Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, and L. Rico. 2006. Distribution maps of the birds of Peru, version 1.0. Environment, Culture & Conservation (ECCo). The Field Museum.  http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/uw_test/birdsofperu on 03/01/2016.