Cyanocorax yucatanicus
The striking Yucatan Jay (Cyanocorax yucatanicus) is a medium-sized corvid, measuring 31-33 cm (12-13 inches) in length and typically weighing 100-140 g (3.5-4.9 oz). Adults are instantly recognizable by their glossy black body and head, sharply contrasting with brilliant sky-blue wings and tail. A key field mark is the combination of bright yellow eyes and, in adults, a vivid yellow bill and legs, which are black in juveniles before gradually turning yellow over several years. This species b...
Primarily inhabiting tropical evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, the Yucatan Jay also frequents forest edges, clearings, and plantations, thriving in low-lying areas from sea level up to around 300 meters (1,000 feet) elevation.
The Yucatan Jay is an omnivorous species, with its diet consisting primarily of large insects (such as beetles, caterpillars, and grasshoppers), spiders, various fruits, berries, and seeds, occasionally supplemented by small vertebrates, bird eggs, or nestlings; they forage by gleaning, hawking, ...
Yucatan Jays are highly social and diurnal, often observed in noisy, coherent family groups ranging from 3 to 10 individuals, which forage and roost together. Foraging is opportunistic, involving gleaning insects from foliage, probing bark, hawking flying insects, and searching for fruits and see...
The Yucatan Jay is a resident species found primarily in the lowland evergreen and semi-deciduous forests of the Yucatan Peninsula and adjacent regions of Central America. Its core range extends across the entire Yucatan Peninsula, encompassing the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yu...
Least Concern
- Yucatan Jay juveniles are born with black bills and legs, which gradually transition to a vibrant yellow over 2-3 years, making their age relatively easy to estimate in the field. - This species practices cooperative breeding, where multiple non-breeding adults from the group assist the primary...