The White-throated Jay is a species of 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...

 in 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...

 family.
It is endemic to Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

Its natural habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

 is subtropical or tropical moist montane

Montane

In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...

s.
It is threatened by habitat loss.

Identification

23-25 cm. Stunning, small jay. Slate-blue body, striking black head with white throat and supercilium extending down behind ear-coverts to give bridled effect.

Population justification

Population estimate = 6 individuals/km2 x 750 km2 (20% EOO) = 4,500, i.e. best placed in band 2,500-9,999 (density from median of three estimates for New World jays in the BirdLife Population Densities Spreadsheet, and compatible with description as common to fairly common).

Trend justification

No quantitative data are available for the calculation of population trends; however, the species is suspected to be declining rapidly in line with habitat degradation within its range.

Range and population

Cyanolyca mirabilis is locally fairly common to common in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero and Oaxaca, south-west Mexico. In Guerrero, it is common at Omiltemi, fairly common just north of Nueva Delhi and common between Nueva Delhi and Cerro Teotepec. In Oaxaca, it is known from only three localities in the Sierras de Miahautlán and de Yucuyacua, but there have been no records from San Andrés Chicahuaxtla since 19644.

Ecology

It is largely restricted to undisturbed tracts of humid montane forest, favouring cloud (near Cerro Teotepec)5, oak and pine-oak forests, but has been found in disturbed habitats. It occurs at elevations of 1,525-3,500 m in Guerrero and 2,000-2,600 m in Oaxaca, but there is very little suitable habitat below 1,800 m. It tends to forage in pairs or small groups, but sometimes joins mixed-species flocks in non-breeding season. Breeding has been recorded in April-August.

Threats

Many of the remaining forests within its range are under clearance for timber and large-scale agricultural expansion. Corn, fruit (notably citrus fruit in the Sierra de Miahautlán1) and coffee cultivation is replacing lower montane forests, and logging is removing pine-oak forests3. The continuing spread of West Nile virus is not thought to pose a serious threat, and no related mortality has been detected in this species6.

External links

• BirdLife Species Factsheet.