Purplish-backed Jay
Cyanocorax beecheii
Handsome, rather large jay. Common in tropical forest and woodland of northwest Mexico where it is endemic. Usually in small groups, which can be noisy and conspicuous or very quiet and easily overlooked. Deep purplish-blue back, wings, and tail do not contrast strongly with black head and body (can look blackish overall at a distance). Note piercing pale eyes and bright yellow legs and feet. Like other related jays, immature has yellow bill and dull eyes. Compare with San Blas Jay (both occur around town of San Blas, Nayarit, where, ironically, Purplish-backed is generally the only species found in town).
Identification
The purplish-backed jay is a purple and black bird with a powerful bill and a long tail. It varies in length between 35 and 41 cm (14 and 16 in), with males usually larger than females. The head, neck, upper mantle, and underparts are black, and there is a small ruffled erectile crest on the forehead. The underside of the wings and the tail are also blackish, while the remainder of the plumage is purplish-blue, being brightest on the lower part of the mantle and the rump. The bill is black, and the irises and legs are yellow.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cyanocorax beecheii
- Authority
- (Vigors, 1829)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Cyanocorax
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
This jay forms small social groups consisting of an adult pair and up to three young from the previous year. They move through the forest using varying strategies to acquire the invertebrates and small vertebrates on which they feed; some insects are caught in midair, others are plucked off leaves, grubs are obtained by probing bark and other prey are obtained by foraging through the plant litter. The birds are omnivorous and sometimes leave the forest to visit and feed in orchards, fields of grain, rubbish dumps, and road verges.<p>The groups are territorial, establishing home ranges of 25 to 43 hectares (62 to 106 acres) and defending these from neighbouring groups. They also mob and drive off predators. The birds pair for life, with pair bonding behaviours including various vocal displays as well as mutual preening and the passing of food from one partner to the other. Although the group may contain more than one pair, only the dominant pair will normally nest in any given year. The female is assisted in building the nest by other members of the group. It is an untidy platform of twigs, and a clutch of about five eggs is laid in early May. The female incubates the eggs for about nineteen days, being fed by the male and sometimes other members of the group. The newly hatched chicks are fed by both parents and by other members of the group and fledge in about 24 days; juvenile males remain with the group for a year or so before dispersing, while females may remain indefinitely with the group.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black Catbird
Melanoptila glabrirostris
Slender-billed, glossy black bird of humid forest, woodland, thickets, and overgrown clearings; shape and habits like Gray Catbird of North America. Common on Cozumel Island, but generally uncommon to rare on the Yucatan mainland. Often sings from a prominent perch, but otherwise rather retiring and easily overlooked, mainly at low levels in bushes; also hops on the ground, flipping and fanning its tail. Told from other black songbirds in its geographic range by habits and slender bill.
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylle
Small seabird of coastal areas of the North Atlantic and Alaska. Breeding plumage is entirely black with bold white patch on wings and bright red legs. Changes dramatically in winter to whitish overall with some dusky markings on body and black wingtips. Often found in shallower coastal waters including from shore. Dives to hunt for fish and invertebrates. Nests in crevice or burrow in a cliff or around large rocks.
Senegal Parrot
Poicephalus senegalus
Chunky mid-sized parrot with a green back and breast, a gray head, and a colorful belly that shows some geographical variation from yellow to reddish-orange. Found in all types of savanna, including broadleaf savanna, dry thorn savanna, and human-created savanna in the forest zone. Calls are variable sizzling screeches, often given in flight. Similar to Niam-Niam and Meyer’s Parrots, but separated from both by the yellow-orange belly.
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