Species of bird
The
white-tailed jay
(
Cyanocorax mystacalis
), also known as the moustached jay, is a species of
bird
in the crow family
Corvidae
. It is found in
Ecuador
and
Peru
. It has a black face with white spots above and below the eyes, and a small white moustachial stripe. It has a white
nape
, belly, and underparts. Its back and wings are greyish-blue, extending most of the way down the tail. The
retrices
and tail tip are white. It has several
calls
, the most common being described as "cha-cha-cha-cha".
The white-tailed jay was first described by the French ornithologist
Louis Ernest Gustave de Sparre
[
de
]
in 1835 and was given the
scientific name
Pica mystacalis
. It was later placed in the genus
Cyanocorax
. It is visually very similar to the
tufted jay
, which found in Mexico over 4,800 km (3,000 mi) away, and the two species were incorrectly thought to be close relatives. The white-tailed jay's relationship to others in the genus
Cyanocorax
is still unclear.
The white-tailed jay lives in semi-humid, semi-open woodlands, preferring to remain near thick vegetation close to rivers and streams. It eats mostly insects and seeds, but has also been known to
steal eggs
from the nests of other birds. It
forages
in
flocks
and can be found feeding on the ground more often than other members of the genus
Cyanocorax
. While little is known of its
breeding
and
nesting
habits, it is known to build nests through February and March and may nest close to villages. The white-tailed jay is considered a species of
least concern
by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
, although its population has seen notable decreases in some regions. The largest threat to its survival is
habitat destruction
.
Taxonomy and systematics
[
edit
]
The white-tailed jay, also known as the moustached jay,
was first described in 1835 by the French ornithologist
Louis Ernest Gustave de Sparre
[
de
]
, who placed it in the genus
Pica
with the
scientific name
Pica mystacalis
.
It is now placed in the genus
Cyanocorax
, which was introduced by the German zoologist
Friedrich Boie
in 1826.
The white-tailed jay has no recognized
subspecies
.
The white-tailed jay is visually similar to the
tufted jay
found in Mexico. The tufted jay lives within a restricted region of the
Sierra Madre Occidental
, over 4,800 km (3,000 mi) from the range of the white-tailed jay.
While many believed this was likely indicative of a
common ancestor
between the species, others proposed that the two might be the same species, and that the tufted jay had been brought to Mexico by
pre-Columbian trade
.
In 2010, a
mitochondrial DNA
study of the genus
Cyanocorax
proved that the white-tailed jay was a distinct species from the tufted jay, and although they descend from a common ancestor, they are not particularly closely related. This study also demonstrated that the white-tailed jay was
monophyletic
, although its exact position in relation to others in the genus was ambiguous.
The following
cladogram
(simplified from the 2010 mitochondrial DNA study) shows the relationship between species in the genus
Cyanocorax
.
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Inca jay
(
C. yncas
)
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White-tailed jay
(
C. mystacalis
)
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Description
[
edit
]
The white-tailed jay is overall white and bluish, with a black head. Its face is mostly black, with a small white spot above the eye, a small white
moustachial stripe
, and a somewhat larger white spot on the cheek. It has a white
nape
and belly. The back and wings are a greyish-blue, which extends down the top of the tail. The
retrices
, tail tip, and underside of the tail are white. It has bright yellow
irises
.
There are no visual differences between the sexes.
Juveniles have brown irises and lack both the white spot above the eye and the moustachial stripe. These features last until the first
moult
.
The white-tailed jay is roughly 33 cm (13 in) in length.
One individual measured had a wing length of 146 mm (5.7 in), a 147 mm (5.8 in) tail, 40 mm (1.6 in)
tarsi
, and a 40 mm (1.6 in) beak.
Weight measurements come from a single pair, with the male weighing 160 g (5.6 oz) and the female weighing 149 g (5.3 oz).
Little is known of the
vocalizations
of the white-tailed jay. Their most common call is described as "cha-cha-cha-cha", varying in pitch throughout. It is thought that this may be used socially. They also make a high-pitched "clewp-clewp" call.
The white-tailed jay has fewer vocalizations than other species in its genus. This is likely because of its habitat, as it prefers open areas where visual communication is more useful.
The white-tailed jay is unique within its range, with no other species being visually similar. It is visually very similar to the tufted jay but their ranges do not overlap. Additionally, compared to the tufted jay, the white-tailed jay lacks a
crest
, has white on its outer wings, and less white on its tail.
Distribution and habitat
[
edit
]
The white-tailed jay is
non-migratory
and can be found from northwestern
Peru
to southwestern
Ecuador
. In Ecuador, it ranges as far north as the province of
Guayas
, down through
El Oro
and
Loja
. In Peru, it can be found as far south as
La Libertad
.
It lives in several different types of semi-humid, semi-open woodlands throughout its range, such as
mesquite
woodlands and cactus
steppe
. Within these areas, it prefers to remain near thick patches of vegetation close to rivers and streams. In parts of Ecuador, it can be seen in
cloud forests
at higher elevations.
It can be found from sea level up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft).
Behaviour and ecology
[
edit
]
Diet and feeding
[
edit
]
The white-tailed jay feeds on insects, such as beetles and ants, and on seeds. It is also known to
feed on eggs
from other birds. It will approach human settlements and steal eggs from domestic ducks and chickens, and one pair has been observed raiding the nest of a
pale-legged hornero
.
It also steals eggs from the endangered
Peruvian plantcutter
.
The white-tailed jay
forages
in
flocks
of up to ten individuals, but can also commonly be seen singly or in a pair. It forages throughout all levels of the forest; however, it can be found on the ground more often than other species in its genus. This is thought to be because of its habitat, as it prefers semi-open areas. It can also be found near human settlements and will forage through gardens.
The white-tailed jay may be
predated
upon by the
bicoloured hawk
.
Breeding and nesting
[
edit
]
Little is known about the
breeding
and
nesting
habits of the white-tailed jay. Adults have been observed carrying nesting material in February and March, and nests have been seen being built in tall trees close to villages. Breeding pairs likely nest alone, away from other white-tailed jays.
Eggs are
buff
-coloured and heavily covered with brown, grey, and black spots.
Conservation and status
[
edit
]
The white-tailed jay is considered a species of
least concern
by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
. While its exact population is unknown, it is fairly common within its range, although the population is believed to be decreasing.
Certain regions have seen a notable decrease in population, such as the Loja Province in Ecuador. Because of the white-tailed jay's relatively restricted range, the primary threat to its survival is
habitat destruction
.
There are currently no conservation plans in place for the white-tailed jay; however, it does occur within the
Tumbesian region
Endemic Bird Area
and has been observed breeding there.
[17]
Citations
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- Barrio, Javier; Garcia-Olaechea, Diego; More, Alexander (17 January 2015).
"The avifauna of El Angolo Hunting Reserve, north-west Peru: natural history notes"
(PDF)
.
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club
: 6?20.
- BirdLife International (2016).
"
Cyanocorax mystacalis
"
.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
.
2016
: e.T22705735A94033615.
doi
:
10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22705735A94033615.en
. Retrieved
12 November
2021
.
- Boie, Friedrich
(1826).
"Generalubersicht"
.
Isis von Oken
(in German).
1826
. Col 975.
- Bonaccorso, Elisa; Santander, Tatiana; Feile, Juan F.; M., Boris Tinoco; Rodas, Fabian (2007).
"Avifauna and conservation of the Cerro Negro-cazaderos area, tumbesian Ecuador"
(PDF)
.
Continga
.
27
: 61?66.
- Bonaccorso, Elisa; Peterson, A. Townsend; Navarro-Siguenza, Adolfo G.; Fleischer, Robert C. (March 2010).
"Molecular systematics and evolution of the
Cyanocorax
jays"
.
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
.
54
(3): 897?909.
doi
:
10.1016/j.ympev.2009.11.014
.
hdl
:
1808/6568
.
PMID
19931623
. Retrieved
10 February
2024
.
- de Sparre, Louis Ernest Gustave (1832?1873).
"
Pica mystacalis
"
.
Magasin de Zoologie
: 34
. Retrieved
27 February
2024
.
- dos Anjos, L (2020). "White-tailed Jay (
Cyanocorax mystacalis
), version 1.0".
Birds of the World
. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
doi
:
10.2173/bow.whtjay2.01
.
S2CID
216478180
.
- Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021).
"IOC World Bird List (v 14.1)"
.
Archived
from the original on October 4, 2020
. Retrieved
February 20,
2024
.
- Goodwin, Derek; Gillmor, Robert (1976).
Crows of the World
. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell Univ. Press. pp. 299?300.
ISBN
0801410576
.
- Haemig, Paul D. (June 1979).
"Secret of the Painted Jay"
.
Biotropica
.
11
(2): 81?87.
Bibcode
:
1979Biotr..11...81H
.
doi
:
10.2307/2387782
.
JSTOR
2387782
. Retrieved
10 February
2024
.
- Hardy, John William (October 1969). "A Taxonomic Revision of the New World Jays".
The Condor
.
71
(4): 360?375.
doi
:
10.2307/1365735
.
JSTOR
1365735
.
- Madge, Steve; Burn, Hilary (1994).
Crows and Jays: A Guide to the Crow, Jays and Magpies of the World
. Boston: Mifflin. p. 90.
ISBN
039567171X
.
- Moore, Robert T. (July 1935).
"A New Jay of the Genus
Cyanocorax
from Sinaloa, Mexico"
(PDF)
.
The Auk
.
52
(3): 274?277.
doi
:
10.2307/4077739
.
JSTOR
4077739
. Retrieved
19 February
2024
.
- Nolazco, Sergio; Roper, James J. (2014).
"The challenge of estimating population trends in the endangered Peruvian Plantcutter (
Phytotoma raimondii
) and implications for conservation"
(PDF)
.
Ornitologia Neotropical
.
25
(2): 125?134
. Retrieved
7 March
2024
.
- Walther, Bruno A.; Clayton, Dale H. (2005-01-01).
"Elaborate ornaments are costly to maintain: evidence for high maintenance handicaps"
.
Behavioral Ecology
.
16
(1): 89?95.
CiteSeerX
10.1.1.513.6291
.
doi
:
10.1093/beheco/arh135
.
ISSN
1045-2249
.
External links
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Azure-winged
magpies
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Grey
jays
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New World
jays
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