Black-throated Jay

Overview

The black-throated jay, also known as Strickland's jay, is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, though its population is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Measures 23 to 28 cm in length and weighs 47 to 60 g.
• Features a cobalt blue crown, black forehead and lores, and a thin white line from above the forecrown to the back of the ear coverts.
• Upperparts are deep blue with some cerulean on the wings and tail, while the breast, belly, and undertail coverts are a deeper, purplish blue.
• Has a black bill, black legs and feet, and a dark brown iris; calls include a shrieking 'shreeaa'shreeaa' and a harsher 'rhrrrrr'.

Habitat

Found discontinuously in Mexico's Chiapas state, central and southern Guatemala, western and central Honduras, and extreme northern El Salvador. It inhabits montane evergreen cloudforest and pine-oak forest in subtropical and lower temperate zones, typically between 1,200 and 3,000 m in elevation.

Diet

The species is believed to be omnivorous, though its diet has not been specifically studied. It typically forages singly or in family groups, mostly within the forest's understory.

Did you know?

While its population is estimated between 20,000 and 50,000 mature individuals and considered threatened in Mexico, it is rated as rare to uncommon and local in Guatemala and Honduras. No immediate threats to the species have been identified despite the decreasing population trend.