Family Crows and Jays (Corvidae)
Least Concern
Turquoise Jay (Cyanolyca turcosa)
Taxonomy
French: Geai turquoise German: Türkishäher Spanish: Chara turquesa
Taxonomy:
Cyanocitta turcosa
Bonaparte
, 1853,near Puerres, Nariño, Colombia
.Distribution:
SW Colombia (Nariño) S in Andes (on both slopes in C Ecuador) to N Peru (N Piura and NW Cajamarca).
Descriptive notes
30–34 cm. Forehead, lores and side of head are black, crown and nape pale turquoise-blue, becoming paler on forecrown, throat very pale, almost turquoise-blue,... read more
Voice
Most frequently heard are a loud "tsrrrp" and a liquid explosive "kworrr", both... read more
Habitat
Montane humid cloudforest at 1500–3500 m; reaches forest edges into elfin woodland at tree-... read more
Food and feeding
Poorly documented. Said to forage in small flocks in subcanopy and canopy of forest interior, edges and second growth. Recorded in mixed... read more
Breeding
Little information. Several nests in Ecuador were in tree branches 6–16 m above the ground; three were under construction in Dec, one... read more
Movements
Sedentary.
Status and conservation
Not globally threated (Least Concern). Fairly common in Ecuador, but seemingly not common in Colombia. Fairly common in Peru.
See C. armillata (above). Monotypic.