Cyanolyca argentigula
The Silvery-throated Jay (Cyanolyca argentigula) is a strikingly beautiful neotropical corvid, celebrated for its vibrant plumage and restricted cloud forest habitat. Measuring approximately 23-26 cm (9-10 inches) in length and weighing around 60-70 grams (2.1-2.5 oz), this medium-sized jay boasts a deep, lustrous violet-blue body, contrasting sharply with a velvety black face mask that extends from the lores to the ear coverts. Its most distinctive field mark, and the source of its name, is ...
Found exclusively in humid montane evergreen and cloud forests, typically at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 meters (4,900-8,200 feet), occasionally descending to 1,200m or ascending to 3,000m. It prefers areas with dense undergrowth and abundant moss-laden trees.
Their diet primarily consists of arthropods, including beetles, caterpillars, and other insects, which they glean from foliage and bark. They also consume a significant amount of fruit, seeds, and occasionally small vertebrates or bird eggs when available.
Silvery-throated Jays are diurnal and often observed in small, cohesive family groups of 2-6 individuals, though they frequently join mixed-species foraging flocks, especially with tanagers and other corvids. They are primarily arboreal foragers, gleaning insects and larvae from bark, mosses, and...
The Silvery-throated Jay is a resident species endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. In Costa Rica, its range extends through the Cordillera Central, including Volcán Poás, Volcán Barva, and the Monteverde area, south through the extensive Cordillera de Talamanca. In Panama, ...
Least Concern
- The Silvery-throated Jay is one of the most geographically restricted species in the Cyanolyca genus, found only in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. - Despite its striking blue plumage, it can be surprisingly difficult to observe, often staying hidden in the dense cloud forest ca...