Yucatán Jay
Cyanocorax yucatanicus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyCorvidae (Crows, Jays, and Magpies)
- GenusCyanocorax (Cyanocorax Jays and Magpie-jays)
- SpeciesCyanocorax yucatanicus (Yucatán Jay)
About the Yucatán Jay
The Yucatan jay (Cyanocorax yucatanicus) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and their allies. It is native to the Yucatán Peninsula where its habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, plantations and cleared areas at altitudes up to 250 m (820 ft). Adults are about 30 cm (12 in) long, black, with blue wings, mantle, and tail, black bills, yellow eye rings and legs. Immature birds have yellow bills. This is a common species of jay with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Yucatan jay was first described by the naturalist Alphonse Dubois in 1875. It originally places in the genus Cyanocitta, and was given the scientific name Cyanocitta yucatanica. It is now placed by the genus Cyanocorax, which was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826, as Cyanocorax yucatanicus. In 1934, ornithologist Carl Eduard Hellmayr reorganized the genus Cyanocorax and split it into four subgenera. The Yucatan jay was placed into the subgenus Cissilopha as Cissilopha yucatanica. This is now considered a synonym for the Yucatan jay.
When Hellmayr created... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park
Green Jay
Cyanocorax yncas
Brown Jay
Psilorhinus morio
Montezuma Oropendola
Psarocolius montezuma
Melodious Blackbird
Dives dives
Social Flycatcher
Myiozetetes similis
Magnolia Warbler
Setophaga magnolia
Lesser Greenlet
Hylophilus decurtatus
Spot-breasted Wren
Pheugopedius maculipectus
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Masked Tityra
Tityra semifasciata
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Olivaceous Woodcreeper
Sittasomus griseicapillus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Yucatán Jay in Tikal National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yucatán Jay sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Yucatán Jay in Tikal National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Yucatán Jay in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.