Family Crows and Jays (Corvidae)
Least Concern
Brown Jay (Cyanocorax morio)
Taxonomy
French: Geai enfumé German: Braunhäher Spanish: Chara papán
Taxonomy:
Pica morio
Wagler
, 1829,Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico
.
Subspecies and Distribution
C. m. palliatus
(van Rossem, 1934) – extreme S USA (lower Rio Grande Valley, in extreme SE Texas), E Mexico (Nuevo León and Tamaulipas S to Veracruz).
C. m. morio
(Wagler, 1829) – SE Mexico from coastal plain of C Veracruz S to E Tabasco, SW Campeche and N Chiapas (Palenque), S in Central America to W Panama (Almirante Bay region).
C. m. vociferus
(S. Cabot, 1843) – N Yucatán Peninsula.
Descriptive notes
38–44 cm; 173–224 g. Large jay with short bristly frontal crest somewhat inconspicuous, rather plush-like feathering on lores and around eye, highly graduated... read more
Voice
Small repertoire. Most frequently heard is a loud "pay-ah" or "peer", with... read more
Habitat
Mosaic of habitats, from coastal areas to 2500 m, with notable preference for disturbed areas (... read more
Food and feeding
Takes insects, spiders (Araneae), lizards, nectar of banana and balsa flowers, and fruits, especially those of Castilloa elastica... read more
Breeding
Eggs recorded in Mar–Jun, with peak in Apr. Social nester, but breeding behaviour varies more than in other co-operatively breeding... read more
Movements
Sedentary.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Common in most of its range. Recently reported from El Salvador. Has benefited from forest fragmentation, which has created more open areas; this... read more
Often separated in monospecific Psilorhinus, but included in current genus following findings of recent phylogenetic study#R. Has hybridized with C. formosus in S Mexico. Two morphs, largely random in occurrence, white-tipped morph found at relatively high frequencies in arid and mesic regions, brown-tailed morph predominating in more humid areas; in Mexico, white-tipped morph, formerly treated as a separate species, “C. mexicanus”, recorded N to C Veracruz (Plan del Río, 19°12’ N), and brown-tailed morph found S to Montecristo, in Tabasco. Proposed race cyanogenys (Pearl Cay Lagoon, in Nicaragua) included in nominate. Three subspecies recognized.