Brown Jay
Photo © Adam Jackson
Photo © Adam Jackson — CC0 1.0 — Source: iNaturalist photo #554953831The brown jay (Cyanocorax morio) is a large jay native to Central America and southern Texas. == Taxonomy == The brown jay was formerly placed in its own genus Psilorhinus. When molecular phylogenetic studies found that the genus Cyanocorax was paraphyletic relative to Psilorhinus, Psilorhinus was subsumed into Cyanocorax to resolve the paraphyly. Three subspecies are recognised: C. m. palliatus (Van Rossem, 1934) – extreme south Texas (south USA) and northeast, east Mexico C. m. morio (Wagler, 1829) – southeast Mexico to west Panama C. m. vociferus (Cabot, S, 1843) – north Yucatán Peninsula (southeast Mexico) == Description == Brown jays vary in plumage geographically: there are two main groups. Northern birds are almost completely dark brown, with lighter brown on the underparts. Southern birds are white-bellied and have bright white tips to the outer tail feathers. The intergrade zone is in Veracruz, Mexico. Adults in both populations have black bills, legs, and feet. Immatures have yellow bare parts, including yellow eye-rings. The voice is a loud but low-pitched pee-ah call and is often modified to suit its situation or mood. == Distribution and habitat == The northernmost extent of the brown jay is in the lower Rio Grande Valley…
Corcovado National Park
Puerto Jiménez, Costa Rica
+444 birds+48 mammals
Where the Osa Peninsula juts into the Pacific, rainforest descends almost to the tide line, and Corcovado National Park protects one of Central America's most intact…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKManuel Antonio National Park
Quepos, Costa Rica
+426 birds+22 mammals
Where tropical rainforest descends steeply to a rocky Pacific coastline, Manuel Antonio National Park distills Central American biodiversity into one of Costa Rica's most compressed and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKArenal Volcano National Park
Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica
+551 birds+21 mammals
Straddling the border between Alajuela and Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica, this national park rises dramatically around one of Central America's most active volcanic systems. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTortuguero National Park
Roxana, Costa Rica
+420 birds+23 mammals
Canals and lagoons thread through a labyrinth of lowland rainforest where the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica meets the wetland frontier. This is terrain shaped by…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKChirripó National Park
Rivas, Costa Rica
+274 birds+6 mammals
Where the volcanic spine of Costa Rica's Central Cordillera reaches its apex, Chirripó National Park encompasses a landscape that shifts dramatically with elevation, from montane cloud…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBraulio Carrillo National Park
Las Horquetas, Costa Rica
+547 birds+18 mammals
Where the Caribbean slope descends from the central volcanic cordillera toward the humid lowlands of Heredia, Braulio Carrillo National Park preserves one of Costa Rica's most…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPiedras Blancas National Park
Golfito, Costa Rica
+386 birds+24 mammals
Where the Golfo Dulce meets the southwestern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Piedras Blancas National Park protects a dramatic transition zone where lowland rainforest descends toward…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSanta Rosa National Park
Santa Elena, Costa Rica
+359 birds+30 mammals
Where Pacific-facing slopes descend from volcanic uplands toward the Guanacaste lowlands, Santa Rosa National Park unfolds across a mosaic of tropical dry forest, gallery woodland, and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGuanacaste National Park
Santa Elena, Costa Rica
+461 birds+17 mammals
Where the Pacific slopes of northwestern Costa Rica rise toward the Continental Divide, dry tropical forest gives way to cloud-laden peaks and misty ridges—a landscape that…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVolcán Poás National Park
Toro Amarillo, Costa Rica
+237 birds+4 mammals
Where volcanic slopes rise sharply from the Central Valley floor, Volcán Poás National Park protects one of Costa Rica's most active and accessible volcanic systems. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLagunas de Montebello National Park
Laguna de Montebello, Mexico
+360 birds+2 mammals
Where turquoise lagoons pierce the limestone plateau of southeastern Chiapas, the Lagunas de Montebello National Park unfolds across roughly 174 square kilometers of spectral water and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSian Ka’an
Chunyaxché, Mexico
+350 birds+16 mammals
Where the Yucatán Peninsula dissolves into wetland and mangrove, a vast mosaic of forest, lagoon, and coastal margin creates one of Mexico's most biodiverse strongholds. Across…
VIEW BIOSPHERE RESERVESierra de Tamaulipas
El Porvenir, Mexico
+98 birds+19 mammals
Where limestone peaks thrust skyward through dense subtropical forest, Mexico's northeastern frontier reveals one of the continent's most biodiverse mountain ranges. Canyons carved by perennial rivers…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEMontes Azules
Candelaria, Mexico
+395 birds+47 mammals
Where jungle-clad limestone plateaus plunge into canyon systems carved by the Usumacinta River, Mexico's most pristine rainforest reserve unfolds across the Lacandón region of Chiapas. Montes…
VIEW BIOSPHERE RESERVETikal National Park
Tikal, Guatemala
+399 birds+16 mammals
Dense rainforest canopy rises above the limestone plateau of Petén, where archaeological wonder and ecological richness merge seamlessly across one of Central America's most biodiverse landscapes.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLaguna del Tigre National Park
Petén, Guatemala
+399 birds+29 mammals
Where the Petén lowlands dissolve into wetland and forest, Laguna del Tigre National Park protects one of Guatemala's most ecologically vital landscapes. This sprawling reserve encompasses…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSierra del Lacandón National Park
Petén, Guatemala
+348 birds+7 mammals
Where the Petén rainforest rises into limestone ridges and deep ravines, Sierra del Lacandón National Park protects one of Central America's most intact tropical wilderness zones.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCarara National Park
Tárcoles, Costa Rica
+397 birds+19 mammals
Where the Pacific coastal plain meets transitional forest, Carara National Park straddles one of Central America's most dynamic ecological boundaries. The park's landscape encompasses lowland deciduous…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPalo Verde National Park
Bagaces, Costa Rica
+318 birds+24 mammals
Dry forest spreads across Palo Verde's low-lying terrain in northwestern Guanacaste, where seasonal rivers and lagoons etch through deciduous woodland that sheds its canopy each winter.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLos Quetzales National Park
Copey, Costa Rica
+232 birds+3 mammals
Cloud forest sweeps across the upper slopes of the Central Valley watershed, where elevation and persistent moisture forge an ecosystem unlike any other in Costa Rica.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCahuita National Park
Talamanca, Costa Rica
+359 birds+15 mammals
Where the Caribbean shoreline dissolves into mangrove creeks and coral gardens, Cahuita's mosaic of habitats unfolds across the Limón coast. The park's signature feature—a living coral…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRincón de la Vieja National Park
Liberia, Costa Rica
+451 birds+30 mammals
Where volcanic slopes rise abruptly from the Guanacaste lowlands, Rincón de la Vieja National Park sprawls across a landscape shaped by geothermal drama and seasonal extremes.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTapantí Macizo de la Muerte National Park
Orosi, Costa Rica
+503 birds+18 mammals
Where montane cloud forest rises steeply from the Orosi Valley, Tapantí Macizo de la Muerte National Park enfolds a landscape of perpetual moisture and emerald complexity.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLa Amistad International Park
Crorina, Costa Rica
+532 birds+20 mammals
Where the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica's Talamanca Mountains rise steeply inland from Limón, the boundary between two nations dissolves into an unbroken expanse of rainforest.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBarbilla National Park
Chirripó, Costa Rica
+226 birds
Where the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica's eastern cordillera plunges into perpetual moisture, Barbilla National Park rises as one of Central America's most water-rich ecosystems. Fed…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVolcán Tenorio National Park
Guatuso, Costa Rica
+480 birds+12 mammals
Where volcanic slopes rise through Costa Rica's northwestern borderlands, Volcán Tenorio National Park sprawls across terrain shaped by ancient lava flows and mineral-rich springs. The park's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMarino Ballena National Park
Bahía Ballena, Costa Rica
+336 birds+8 mammals
Where mangrove forests meet coral-fringed shorelines along Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast, Marino Ballena National Park encompasses a marine and terrestrial mosaic that ranks among Central…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCaño Negro National Wildlife Refuge
Caño Negro District, Costa Rica
+486 birds+16 mammals
Where the San Juan River's seasonal floodplain opens into expansive wetlands, Caño Negro Wildlife Sanctuary sprawls across one of Central America's most productive freshwater ecosystems. This…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYGandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge
Manzanillo, Costa Rica
+394 birds+18 mammals
Where the Caribbean coastal plain surrenders to water-logged forest and mangrove tangles, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Sanctuary shelters one of Costa Rica's most biodiverse lowland wetland ecosystems. The…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYBarra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge
Tortuguero, Costa Rica
+462 birds+36 mammals
Where the Caribbean's restless waters meet the Limón Province coastline, Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Sanctuary unfolds across a landscape of extraordinary ecological complexity. This equatorial…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYCurú National Wildlife Refuge
Paquera, Costa Rica
+249 birds+8 mammals
Where the Pacific coast of Puntarenas dissolves into dry deciduous forest and mangrove fringe, Curú Wildlife Sanctuary holds one of Costa Rica's most ecologically vital yet…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYNo community photos yet. Log in to add the first one.
No community observations of this species yet.