Unicolored Jay

The unicolored jay (Aphelocoma unicolor) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and jays. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. == Taxonomy and systematics == The unicolored jay was originally described in 1847 as Cyanocorax unicolor. Its current genus Aphelocoma is from Latinized Ancient Greek apheles- (from ἀφελής-) "simple" + Latin coma (from Greek kome κόμη) "hair", in reference to the lack of striped or banded feathers in this genus, compared to other jays. It is apparently a basal member of the genus. The unicolored jay has these five subspecies: A. u. guerrerensis Nelson, 1903 A. u. concolor (Cassin, 1848) A. u. oaxacae Pitelka, 1946 A. u. unicolor (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1847) A. u. griscomi Van Rossem, 1928 Some of the subspecies were originally described as full species. The five exhibit much genetic variation and have long been isolated from each other. In 2020 the American Ornithological Society declined to reclassify them into four species. == Description == The unicolored jay is about 34 cm (13 in) long. The nominate subspecies A. u. unicolor weighs about 125 to 150 g (4.4 to 5.3 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. The…