Green Jay
Cyanocorax yncas
Stunning and unmistakable: green and yellow plumage with bold black-and-blue head pattern. Birds from Texas to Honduras have a blue crown, dark eye, and relatively uniform lime-green body, and occur in small flocks in woodland with brushy understory. Birds in South America, sometimes called Inca Jays, occur in Andean cloud forest from Venezuela to Bolivia. They show a white crown, pale eye, blue forehead tuft, and rich sulphur-yellow belly contrasting with darker green upperparts. Both populations give a variety of strange mechanical calls.
Identification
The green jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus) is a species of New World jay, found in southern Texas, Mexico, and northern Central America. Adults are about 27 cm (11 in) long and are variable in color across their range; they usually have blue and black heads, green wings and mantle, bluish-green tails, black bills, yellow or brown eye rings, and dark legs. The basic diet consists of arthropods, vertebrates, seeds, and fruit. The nest is usually built in a thorny bush; the female incubates the clutch of three to five eggs. This is a common species of jay with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Taxonomy
Genus: Cyanocorax; Family: Corvidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Cyanocorax yncas
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Cyanocorax
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Japanese Woodpecker
Picus awokera
The only green-backed woodpecker in the region, found in deciduous and evergreen broadleaf forests in mountains. Plumage unmistakable, with green upperparts and numerous neat spots on the belly. Gives distinctive, robust “pyo pyo” whistles, in addition to “kyo kyo” calls extremely similar to some other woodpeckers. Drumming is fast and long.
Roseate Tern
Sterna dougallii
Graceful pale tern with extremely long forked tail. Named for faint rosy wash on belly. Bill color varies geographically; Old World birds arrive on breeding grounds with a black bill that turns to red, while New World birds arrive with a red bill that turns darker. Similar to Common Tern, but notably whiter wings. With practice, look for shallow, choppier wingbeats to distinguish from other tern species. Widespread across the globe but local, breeding in scattered colonies, often on offshore islands. Can be found mixed in flocks with other terns on beaches, mudflats, or estuaries. Listen for harsh two-parted call "chivick."
Buru Oriole
Oriolus bouroensis
A large gray-brown oriole with a straight, heavy bill. Main field mark is an ill-defined dark mask on the feathered face. Underparts paler than upperside. Juveniles display rufous-edged wings. Singles or pairs can be found in forest, forest edge, mangroves, and woodlands in lowlands and foothills. Similar to Buru Friarbird, but dark facial area is feathered, not bare; bill shape is thick and straight; and tail is shorter. Variable song consists of around three fluty notes, often rising and loudest on final note: “ku-wuWOOO.”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.