Photo: Michael Woodruff / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Beautiful Jay
Cyanolyca pulchra
Beautiful Jay (Cyanolyca pulchra) — Crows, Jays & Magpies of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Beautiful Jay (Cyanolyca pulchra) is a member of the Corvidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 101 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Corvidae Crows, Jays
- Genus Cyanolyca
- Species pulchra
Quick facts
- Weight
- 101 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Corvidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Not Evaluated
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Beautiful Jay is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Beautiful Jay is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Beautiful Jay (Cyanolyca pulchra) belongs to the Corvidae family of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans South America. Its distribution covers SA Colombia, Ecuador and n Peru.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 101 g, with a wing length of about 13.3 cm and a tail of around 13.2 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 20,000 km² — a relatively restricted global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Beautiful Jay?
The Beautiful Jay is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 101 g.
Where does the Beautiful Jay live?
The Beautiful Jay is found across South America with a range covering SA Colombia, Ecuador and n Peru, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Beautiful Jay belong to?
The Beautiful Jay (Cyanolyca pulchra) belongs to the Corvidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Beautiful Jay eat?
The Beautiful Jay is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Beautiful Jay migrate?
The Beautiful Jay is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Beautiful Jay endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Beautiful Jay make?
1 real field recording of the Beautiful Jay — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Beautiful Jay's range?
The Beautiful Jay has a mapped global range of about 20,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Feeders for Jays & Larger Garden Birds
How to choose a feeder for jays and other big, bold garden birds — the styles that suit peanuts and larger food, and how to keep them from crowding your small-bird feeders. A decision framework with the species in the Birbs encyclopedia.