Cyanocorax Explained

Cyanocorax is a genus of New World jays, passerine birds in the family Corvidae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words κυανος (kuanos), meaning "dark blue," and κοραξ (korax), meaning "raven".[1] [2]

It contains several closely related species that primarily are found in wooded habitats of Mexico and Central and South America, with the green jay just barely entering the United States.

The genus Cyanocorax was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826, with the plush-crested jay as the type species.[3] [4]

Species

The genus contains 17 species:[5]

Image Scientific name Common Name Distribution
Cyanocorax melanocyaneus Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua
Cyanocorax sanblasianus Mexico
Cyanocorax yucatanicus Yucatán Peninsula
Cyanocorax beecheii northwestern Mexico
Cyanocorax violaceus Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela
Cyanocorax caeruleus south-eastern Brazil (São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul), far eastern Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina
Cyanocorax cyanomelas northern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay and southeastern Peru
Cyanocorax cristatellus northeastern Brazil
Cyanocorax dickeyi Sierra Madre Occidental of Sinaloa and Durango in Mexico
Cyanocorax affinis Colombia, northwestern Venezuela, Panama and far eastern Costa Rica
Cyanocorax mystacalis Ecuador and Peru
Cyanocorax cayanus Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela
Cyanocorax heilprini Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela
Cyanocorax chrysops southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina
Cyanocorax cyanopogonBrazil
Cyanocorax luxuosus southern Texas to Honduras
Cyanocorax yncas Colombia and Venezuela through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia

Some ornithologists treat the green jay and the Inca jay as conspecific, with C. yncas luxuosus as the green jay and C. yncas yncas as the Inca jay.[6] [7]

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: Holloway, Joel Ellis . Dictionary of Birds of the United States: Scientific and Common Names . Timber Press . 2003 . 978-0-88192-600-2 . 79.
  2. Web site: Jobling. J.A.. 2015. del Hoyo. J.. Elliott. A.. Sargatal. J.. Christie. D.A.. de Juana. E.. Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology. dead. https://archive.today/20151108151106/http://www.hbw.com/dictionary/definition/cyanocorax. November 8, 2015. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions.
  3. Boie . Friedrich . Friedrich Boie . 1826 . Generalübersicht . Isis von Oken . 1826 . Col 975. de .
  4. Book: Mayr . Ernst . Ernst Mayr . Greenway . James C. Jr . 1962 . Check-list of birds of the world . 15 . Museum of Comparative Zoology . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 220 .
  5. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . 2018 . Crows, mudnesters, birds-of-paradise . World Bird List Version 8.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 16 May 2018 .
  6. Web site: dos Anjos. L. . 2018 . Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) . del Hoyo . J. . Elliott . A. . Sargatal . J. . Christie . D.A. . de Juana . E. . Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive . Lynx Edicions . 16 May 2018 . subscription .
  7. Book: Dickinson . E.C. . Edward C. Dickinson . Christidis . L. . Leslie Christidis . 2014 . The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World . 2: Passerines . 4th . Eastbourne, UK . Aves Press . 978-0-9568611-2-2 . 240–241 .