Jay
Encyclopedia
The jays are several species
of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine
bird
s in the crow
family
Corvidae
. The names jay and magpie
are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian Magpie seems more closely related to the Eurasian Jay
than to the Oriental Blue
and Green Magpies, whereas the Blue Jay
is not closely related to either.
links. Traditionally, the Crested Jay
(Platylophus galericulatus) is placed here, but apparently this is not correct, as suggested by anatomical and molecular evidence. Its placement remains unresolved; it does not seem to be a corvid at all. According to Ericson et al. (2005), jays are not a monophyletic group. Rather, they can be divided into an American
and an Old World
lineage (the latter including the ground jay
s and the Piapiac
), while the gray jay
s of the genus Perisoreus form a group of their own. The Black Magpie
, formerly believed to be related to jays, is classified as a treepie
.
The term jaywalking
was coined in 1915 to label persons crossing a busy street carelessly and becoming a traffic hazard.http://m-w.com/dictionary/jaywalker The term began to imply recklessness or impertinent behavior as the convention became established. .
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Corvidae
Corvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
. The names jay and magpie
Magpie
Magpies are passerine birds of the crow family, Corvidae.In Europe, "magpie" is often used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie, as there are no other magpies in Europe outside Iberia...
are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian Magpie seems more closely related to the Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Jay
The Eurasian Jay is a species of bird occurring over a vast region from Western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian Subcontinent and further to the eastern seaboard of Asia and down into south-east Asia...
than to the Oriental Blue
Urocissa
Urocissa is a genus of birds in the family Corvidae, which resides in the huge Passerine order. It consists of mainly brightly coloured magpies in Asia.Species in the genus Urocissa:* Formosan Blue Magpie, Urocissa caerulea...
and Green Magpies, whereas the Blue Jay
Blue Jay
The Blue Jay is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States and southern Canada, although western populations may be migratory. It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common near and in...
is not closely related to either.
Systematics and species
See classification box for relevant generaGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
links. Traditionally, the Crested Jay
Crested Jay
The Crested Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Platylophus.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand....
(Platylophus galericulatus) is placed here, but apparently this is not correct, as suggested by anatomical and molecular evidence. Its placement remains unresolved; it does not seem to be a corvid at all. According to Ericson et al. (2005), jays are not a monophyletic group. Rather, they can be divided into an American
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and an Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
lineage (the latter including the ground jay
Ground jay
The ground jays or ground choughs belong to a distinct group of the passerine order of birds in the genus Podoces of the crow family Corvidae...
s and the Piapiac
Piapiac
The Piapiac is a member of the crow family, and is the only member of the genus Ptilostomus. According to recent findings, it is most closely related to the Central Asian ground jays .-Description:...
), while the gray jay
Gray Jay
The Gray Jay , also Grey Jay, Canada Jay, or Whiskey Jack, is a member of the crow and jay family found in the boreal forests across North America north to the tree-line and in subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico and Arizona...
s of the genus Perisoreus form a group of their own. The Black Magpie
Black Magpie
The Black Magpie is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.Despite its name, it is neither a magpie nor, as was long believed, a jay, but a treepie. Treepies are a distinct group of corvids externally similar to magpies. It is monotypic within the genus Platysmurus...
, formerly believed to be related to jays, is classified as a treepie
Treepie
The treepies comprise four closely related genera of long-tailed passerine birds in the family Corvidae...
.
Old World ("brown") jays
- Eurasian JayEurasian JayThe Eurasian Jay is a species of bird occurring over a vast region from Western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian Subcontinent and further to the eastern seaboard of Asia and down into south-east Asia...
, Garrulus glandarius - Lanceolated JayLanceolated JayThe Lanceolated Jay or Black-headed Jay is roughly the same size as its close relative the Eurasian Jay, but a little more slender overall except for the bill which is slightly shorter and thicker...
, Garrulus lanceolatus - Lidth's JayLidth's JayThe Lidth's Jay is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to Japan. It is slightly larger than its close relative the Eurasian Jay, with a proportionately stouter bill and also a longer tail...
, Garrulus lidthi
- Henderson's Ground Jay, Podoces hendersoni
- Biddulph's Ground Jay, Podoces biddulphi
- Persian Ground Jay, Podoces pleskei
- Grey Ground Jay, Podoces panderi
- PiapiacPiapiacThe Piapiac is a member of the crow family, and is the only member of the genus Ptilostomus. According to recent findings, it is most closely related to the Central Asian ground jays .-Description:...
, Ptilostomus afer
Grey jays
- Siberian JaySiberian JayThe Siberian Jay Perisoreus infaustus, is a jay found in north Eurasia. The species has a wide range and a large global population . It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, the others being the Sichuan Jay, P...
, Perisoreus infaustus - Sichuan JaySichuan JayThe Sichuan Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is endemic to China. It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, the others being the Siberian Jay, P. infaustus, found from Norway to eastern Russia and the Gray Jay, P. canadensis, restricted to the boreal forest and...
, Perisoreus internigrans - Gray JayGray JayThe Gray Jay , also Grey Jay, Canada Jay, or Whiskey Jack, is a member of the crow and jay family found in the boreal forests across North America north to the tree-line and in subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico and Arizona...
, or Canada Jay or Whiskeyjack Perisoreus canadensis
American ("blue") jays
- Florida Scrub JayFlorida Scrub JayThe Florida Scrub-Jay is one of the species of scrub-jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird endemic to the U.S. state of Florida. Because of this, it is heavily sought by birders who travel from across the country to observe this unique species...
, Aphelocoma coerulescens - Island Scrub JayIsland Scrub JayThe Island Scrub-Jay or Island Jay is one of the species of Aphelocoma native to North America and is endemic to Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Southern California...
, Aphelocoma insularis - Western Scrub JayWestern Scrub JayThe Western Scrub-Jay , is a species of scrub-jay native to western North America. It ranges from southern Washington to central Texas and central Mexico. It comprises three distinct subspecies groups, all of which may be separate species...
, Aphelocoma californica - Mexican JayMexican JayThe Mexican Jay, Aphelocoma wollweberi, formerly known as the Gray-breasted Jay, is a New World jay native to the Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre Occidental, and Central Plateau of Mexico. It reaches north to eastern Arizona, western New Mexico and western Texas in the United States...
, Aphelocoma ultramarina - Unicolored JayUnicolored JayThe Unicolored Jay is an Aphelocoma jay native to cloud forests of northwestern Central America and southern and southeastern Mexico, from central Honduras west to central Guerrero, southern Veracruz and extreme southern San Luis Potosi...
, Aphelocoma unicolor
- Pinyon JayPinyon JayThe Pinyon Jay is a jay between the North American Blue Jay and the Eurasian Jay in size. It is the only member of the genus Gymnorhinus, . Its overall proportions are very Nutcracker-like and indeed this can be seen as convergent evolution as both birds fill similar ecological niches...
, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
- Steller's JaySteller's JayThe Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay...
, Cyanocitta stelleri - Blue JayBlue JayThe Blue Jay is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States and southern Canada, although western populations may be migratory. It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common near and in...
, Cyanocitta cristata
- Black-throated Magpie-jayBlack-throated Magpie-jayThe Black-throated Magpie-Jay is a strikingly long-tailed jay of northwestern Mexico.-Description:This species is 58.5 to 76.5 cm long, more than half of which is the tail, and weight is 225-251 grams...
, Calocitta colliei - White-throated Magpie-jayWhite-throated Magpie-jayThe White-throated Magpie-Jay, Calocitta formosa, is a large Central American jay species. It ranges in Pacific-slope thornforest from Jalisco, Mexico to Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Magpie-jays are noisy, gregarious birds, often traveling in easy-to-find flocks, mobbing their...
, Calocitta formosa
- Tufted JayTufted JayThe Tufted Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is endemic to a small area of the Sierra Madre Occidental of Sinaloa and Durango in Mexico....
, Cyanocorax dickeyi - Black-chested JayBlack-chested JayThe Black-chested Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela....
, Cyanocorax affinis - Green JayGreen JayThe Green Jay is a bird species of the New World jays, which exhibits distinct regional variations within its large but discontinuous range...
, Cyanocorax ynca - Brown JayBrown JayThe Brown Jay is a large American Jay which has the habitus of a magpie, but is slightly smaller and with a shorter tail, though the bill is larger.It occurs from Mexico south into Central America on the Gulf slope...
, Cyanocorax morio - Bushy-crested JayBushy-crested JayThe Bushy-crested Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25...
, Cyanocorax melanocyaneus - San Blas JaySan Blas JayThe San Blas Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
, Cyanocorax sanblasianus - Yucatan JayYucatan JayThe Yucatán Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family, the crows and their allies.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, and southern Mexico....
, Cyanocorax yucatanicus - Purplish-backed JayPurplish-backed JayThe Purplish-backed Jay, Cyanocorax beecheii, is a bird of the crow family Corvidae, with purple feathers on its back and black feathers everywhere else. It is endemic to Mexico.-External links:* on the Internet Bird Collection...
, Cyanocorax beecheii - Purplish JayPurplish JayThe Purplish Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay....
, Cyanocorax cyanomelas - Azure JayAzure JayThe Azure Jay is a passeriform bird of the crow family Corvidae. It is found in the Atlantic Forest, especially with Araucaria angustifolia, in south-eastern Brazil , far eastern Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina...
, Cyanocorax caeruleus - Violaceous JayViolaceous JayThe Violaceous Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family, the crows and their allies.It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest...
, Cyanocorax violaceus - Curl-crested JayCurl-crested JayThe Curl-crested Jay is a jay from South America.This New World or "blue" jay is a beautiful and large bird with predominantly dark blue back, an almost black head and neck, and snow-white chest and underparts...
, Cyanocorax cristatellus - Azure-naped JayAzure-naped JayThe Azure-naped Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland....
, Cyanocorax heilprini - Cayenne JayCayenne JayThe Cayenne Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Cyanocorax cayanus - Plush-crested JayPlush-crested JayThe Plush-crested Jay is a jay of the Corvidae family, which includes the crows and their many allies. It is found in central-southern South America in southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina, including southern regions of the Amazon Basin river systems,...
, Cyanocorax chrysops - White-naped JayWhite-naped JayThe White-naped Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is endemic to Brazil - where it's known as the Gralha Cancã or the Cancão ....
, Cyanocorax cyanopogon - White-tailed JayWhite-tailed JayThe White-tailed Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is found in Ecuador and Peru.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Cyanocorax mystacalis
- Black-collared JayBlack-collared JayThe Black-collared Jay is a jay found in Andean forests in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It was formerly considered conspecific with the White-collared Jay....
, Cyanolyca armillata - Turquoise JayTurquoise JayThe Turquoise Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.The Turquoise Jay is a vibrant blue jay with a black face mask and collar. It is found exclusively in South America throughout southern Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru...
, Cyanolyca turcosa - White-collared JayWhite-collared JayThe White-collared Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is found in Andean forests in Peru and Bolivia. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Black-collared Jay.-References:...
, Cyanolyca viridicyana - Azure-hooded JayAzure-hooded JayThe Azure-hooded Jay, Cyanolyca cucullata, is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is found in Middle America. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. This species is known to have four subspecies. It is in length and is dark blue with a black head and upper...
, Cyanolyca cucullata - Beautiful JayBeautiful JayThe Beautiful Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.-References:...
, Cyanolyca pulchra - Black-throated JayBlack-throated JayThe Black-throated Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Cyanolyca pumilo - Dwarf JayDwarf JayThe Dwarf Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Cyanolyca nana - Silvery-throated JaySilvery-throated JayThe Silvery-throated Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Cyanolyca argentigula - White-throated JayWhite-throated JayThe White-throated Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.It is threatened by habitat loss.- Identification :...
, Cyanolyca mirabilis
Slang
The word "jay" has an archaic meaning in American slang meaning a person who chatters impertinently.http://m-w.com/dictionary/jayThe term jaywalking
Jaywalking
Jaywalking is an informal term commonly used in North America to refer to illegal or reckless pedestrian crossing of a roadway. Examples include a pedestrian crossing between intersections without yielding to drivers and starting to cross a crosswalk at a signalized intersection without waiting...
was coined in 1915 to label persons crossing a busy street carelessly and becoming a traffic hazard.http://m-w.com/dictionary/jaywalker The term began to imply recklessness or impertinent behavior as the convention became established. .
External links
- Jay videos on the Internet Bird Collection