Purplish jay

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Species of bird

title: "Purplish jay" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cyanocorax", "birds-of-bolivia", "birds-of-paraguay", "birds-of-the-pantanal", "birds-described-in-1818", "taxa-named-by-louis-pierre-vieillot", "taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot"] description: "Species of bird" topic_path: "general/cyanocorax" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purplish_jay" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of bird ::

| name = Purplish jay | image = Cyanocorax cyanomelas.jpg | image_caption = Near Barão de Melgaço, Mato Grosso, Brazil | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Cyanocorax | species = cyanomelas | authority = (Vieillot, 1818) | synonyms = | range_map = Cyanocorax cyanomelas map.svg

The purplish jay (Cyanocorax cyanomelas) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and jays. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and as a vagrant to Uruguay.

Taxonomy and systematics

The purplish jay was originally described in 1818 as Pica cyanomelas, mistakenly identifying it as a magpie.

The purplish jay is monotypic.

Description

The purplish jay is 37 to long and weighs about 185 to. The sexes have the same plumage and both have a tuft of feathers at the base of the bill. Adults have a sooty black forecrown, sides of the head, throat, and upper breast. Their crown is purplish brown that becomes more purple on the nape. The rest of their body is bluish purple with a brownish wash, with the brightest shade on the remiges and uppertail coverts. Their rectrices are a dark violet-blue. As the body feathers wear they become browner and contrast more with the tail than when fresh. The species has a dark brown iris, a black bill, and black legs and feet.

Distribution and habitat

The purplish jay is found in southeastern Peru's Amazonas Department in the basin of the Madre de Dios River. Its range continues east across northern and eastern Bolivia into southern Brazil. In Brazil its range's edge follows a rough line from southern Rondônia east across southern Mato Grosso and south across most of Mato Grosso do Sul. The species has also occurred as a vagrant in Uruguay.

The purplish jay inhabits a variety of landscapes including deciduous forest and woodlands, gallery forest, scrublands, and human-managed groves. In elevation it reaches 1000 m in both Brazil and Peru.

Behavior

Movement

The purplish jay is a year-round resident.

Feeding

The purplish jay feeds mostly on invertebrates and fruit but has been observed feeding on carrion. When eating fruit it discards the seeds, which germinate at a higher rate than those of intact fruits and those swallowed and passed by other feeders. It typically forages in family groups.

Breeding

The purplish jay's breeding season has not been fully defined but spans at least from early October into December. Its nest is a cup made from dry twigs with some smaller plant materials included. Nests have been found between about 3.7 and above the ground. Clutches of two to six eggs have been found but the typical clutch is three or four. The eggs are light blue with reddish brown splotches. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.

Vocalization

The purplish jay has a more limited vocal repertoire than many other jays. Its most frequently heard call is "a low, rough note, which may be given singly or in a series...described as "a low, rough DJEW or DJOW [or] jar-jar-jar-jar... or craa-craa-craa-craa". Other vocalizations include "a crowlike car-r-r, a chah chah and quaw".

Status

The IUCN has assessed the purplish jay as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered "common to frequent" in Brazil and "locally fairly common" in Peru. "Human activity seems to be beneficial to these adaptable birds, which have been reported to feed on crops. Moreover, due to their tolerance for heavily degraded habitat, deforestation has actually expanded their range eastward into Brazil."

References

References

  1. BirdLife International. (2018). "Purplish Jay ''Cyanocorax cyanomelas''".
  2. (March 2025). "Jayshrike, shrikes, crows, mudnesters, melampittas, Ifrit, birds-of-paradise".
  3. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, D. F. Lane, L, N. Naka, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 29 November 2025. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. South American Classification Committee associated with the International Ornithologists' Union. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved November 30, 2025
  4. Société de naturalistes ed d'agriculteurs. (1816). "Nouveau dictionnaire d’histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l’agriculture, à l’économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc". Chez Deterville.
  5. Some authors treat the purplish jay and the [[azure jay]] (''C. caeruleus'') as a [[superspecies]].Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, D. F. Lane, L, N. Naka, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 29 November 2025. A classification of the bird species of South America. South American Classification Committee associated with the International Ornithologists' Union. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved November 30, 2025
  6. Molfetto, D. (2020). Purplish Jay (''Cyanocorax cyanomelas''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.purjay1.01 retrieved December 12, 2025
  7. van Perlo, Ber. (2009). "A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil". Oxford University Press.
  8. Schulenberg, T.S.. (2010). "Birds of Peru". Princeton University Press.
  9. From there it extends south through Paraguay into northern Argentina's [[Formosa Province. Formosa]], [[Chaco Province. Chaco]], [[Corrientes Province. Corrientes]], and [[Misiones Province. de la Peña. Martín R.. "Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica". Princeton University Press. (2001)

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cyanocoraxbirds-of-boliviabirds-of-paraguaybirds-of-the-pantanalbirds-described-in-1818taxa-named-by-louis-pierre-vieillottaxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot