Violaceous Jay
A species of Typical Neotropical Jays Scientific name : Cyanocorax violaceus Genus : Typical Neotropical Jays
Violaceous Jay, A species of Typical Neotropical Jays
Botanical name: Cyanocorax violaceus
Genus: Typical Neotropical Jays
Content
Description General Info
Description
This is a medium-large jay with dull violet-blue plumage and a striking dark face and throat. The purplish jay (with which it overlaps in southeastern Peru and in northern Bolivia) is duller (more purplish or brownish blue, less violaceous blue) and the nape is not paler than the back. In eastern Colombia and southern Venezuela, the azure-naped jay is distinguished by its pale iris, white undertail coverts and tip to the tail, paler nape, and short frontal crest. The violaceous jay is 33–38 cm (13–15 in) long and weighs 262 grams (9.2 oz.)
Size
37 cm
Habitat
The violaceous Jay inhabits a range of forested environments, predominantly settled within mature forests, open woodlands, forest fringes, and areas of secondary growth. This species adapts well to degraded and fragmented forests, frequently associating with forest margins. A noticeable preference exists for habitats in proximity to water bodies, including varzea forests, mangroves, and riverbanks, largely due to the availability of forest edges. The violaceous Jay is also present within plantation landscapes.
Dite type
Omnivorous
General Info
Behavior
The violaceous jay is omnivorous, mainly consuming fruits, insects, and bird and reptile eggs. It is also known to take small lizards as well. Little is known in any detail about the violaceous jay's life history. Violaceous jays in Venezuela forage chiefly in the middle and upper canopy (above 18 meters) in a mature tropical evergreen rainforest. They take food items by hopping along limbs and gleaning for prey. It forages in flocks in forest canopy, and rarely lingers in one spot for long. These flocks often are noisy, but like other jays, the violaceous jay can be quiet and inconspicuous at times. They are known to frequently mob potential predators.
Distribution Area
The range of the violaceous jay is the southwest and northwest Amazon Basin, from northern Bolivia, through Amazonian eastern Peru and Ecuador, Amazonian Colombia, and the Orinoco River Basin and beyond into northern Venezuela. The range is east of the Andes cordillera, except in the north in Colombia and Venezuela. In southwest Guyana, (the southwest Guiana Shield), the range borders Roraima state, Brazil and the Amazon River, (Rio Negro), tributary, the south-flowing Branco River of central Roraima. In Brazil's western Amazon Basin, the violaceous jay is found in Roraima, Amazonas, and Acre state, the west of North Region, Brazil.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Crows and jays Genus
Typical Neotropical Jays Species
Violaceous Jay