Azure-hooded jay

Azure-hooded jay
San Gerardo, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Cyanolyca
Species:
C. cucullata
Binomial name
Cyanolyca cucullata
(Ridgway, 1885)

The azure-hooded jay (Cyanolyca cucullata) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in Middle America. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. This species is known to have four subspecies. It is 11 to 12 inches (28 to 30 cm) in length and is dark blue with a black head and upper chest. The back of the head and neck are sky blue with a white border.

The jays travel in groups of two to ten individuals and may join mixed-species flocks. It is a secretive species and therefore difficult to observe in the wild. As an omnivore, this jay eats berries, seeds, and small, dead animals. Females lay three to four eggs, and the young fledge after twenty days. This species is listed as Least Concern, meaning it is not threatened with extinction.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Cyanolyca cucullata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22705663A137754930. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22705663A137754930.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.