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{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Automatic Taxobox
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = ''Cyanocitta''
| name = ''Cyanocitta''
| image = Cyanocitta-cristata-004.jpg
| image = Blue jay in PP (30960).jpg
| image_caption = ''C. cristata''
| image_caption = ''C. cristata''
| taxon = Cyanocitta
| taxon = Cyanocitta
| authority = [[Hugh Edwin Strickland|Strickland]], 1845
| authority = [[Hugh Edwin Strickland|Strickland]], 1845
| type_species = ''[[Cyanocitta cristata|Corvus cristatus]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Linnaeus]], 1758
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision =
| subdivision = *''[[Blue jay|Cyanocitta cristata]]''
⚫
*''[[Blue jay|Cyanocitta cristata]]''
*''[[Steller's jay|Cyanocitta stelleri]]''
*''[[Steller's jay|Cyanocitta stelleri]]''
| range_map = Cyanocitta distribution.svg
| range_map = Cyanocitta distribution.svg
| range_map_caption =Distribution of the Cyanocitta jays in North America. Red: Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), black: Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). Dotted line: irregular wintering, dashed line: irregular breeding.
| range_map_caption = Distribution of the Cyanocitta jays in North America. Red: Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), black: Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). Dotted line: irregular wintering, dashed line: irregular breeding.
}}
}}


'''''Cyanocitta''''' is a genus of birds in the family [[Corvidae]], a family which contains the crows, jays and magpies. The genus includes two crested jays with blue plumage and a distinctive feather crest. Found only in temperate North America, the Rocky Mountains divide the two species. These jays inhabit deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests, feeding mainly on seeds, invertebrates, and small vertebrates, with occasional human food. As omnivores, they breed from spring to early summer, nesting in treetops or bushes with clutches of three to six eggs. They are the only American corvids that use mud in nest-building. Despite their similarities, the two species differ in migratory behavior, socialization, and mating habits.
⚫
'''''Cyanocitta''''' is a genus of birds in the family Corvidae, a family which contains the crows, jays and magpies. Established by [[Hugh Edwin Strickland]] in 1845, it contains the following species:<ref name = "ITIS"/>

{| class="wikitable"
==Description==
|-
Crested jays are relatively slender corvids with similar body shapes but differ in size. Steller’s jay is larger than the blue jay. Their strong black beaks have a small hooked tip and minimal bristles. They have slightly rounded, medium-to-long tails and relatively short wings. A feathered crest is more pronounced in Steller's jay. Both species are blue, black, and white with distinct black-banded tails and wings—a unique trait among American corvids. Males are slightly larger, but both sexes have similar coloring.<ref name="steller">{{cite journal | last1=Walker | first1=Lauren E. | last2=Pyle | first2=Peter | last3=Patten | first3=Michael A. | last4=Greene | first4=Erick | last5=Davison | first5=William | last6=Muehter | first6=Vincent R. | title=Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) | journal=The Birds of North America Online | publisher=Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology | date=2016-07-01 | doi=10.2173/bna.343 | page=}}</ref><ref name="blue">{{cite journal | last1=Smith | first1=Kimberly G. | last2=Tarvin | first2=Keith A. | last3=Woolfenden | first3=Glen E. | title=Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) | journal=The Birds of North America Online | publisher=Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology | date=2013-12-04 | doi=10.2173/bna.469 | page=}}</ref>
! Image !! Scientific name !! Common Name!! Distribution

|-
===Flight===
|[[File:Bluejay (Cyanocitta cristata) (1547) - Relic38.jpg|120px]] || ''Cyanocitta cristata'' || [[Blue jay]] || eastern and central United States, Newfoundland, Canada<ref name="BirdsOfNorthAmerica" />
Steller’s jay has powerful, steady wing beats, while the blue jay’s long-distance flight includes flatter beats, alternating with gliding over short distances. Both species prefer hopping over walking on the ground and are agile in trees.<ref name="steller"/><ref name="blue"/>
|-

|[[File:Stellers jay - natures pics.jpg|120px]] || ''Cyanocitta stelleri'' || [[Steller's jay]] || west of the Rocky Mountains
===Vocalization===
|-
Crested jays have diverse vocal repertoires, from croaks and energetic calls to melodic sounds. Both species are skilled imitators, mimicking buzzard calls, other birds, mammals, and even mechanical noises. The purpose of this mimicry in the wild is still debated.<ref name="steller"/><ref name="blue"/>
⚫
|}

==Systematics==
⚫
Established by [[Hugh Edwin Strickland]] in 1845, it contains the following species and subspecies:<ref name = "ITIS"/>
{{Species table |genus= Cyanocitta |authority-name= [[Hugh Edwin Strickland|Strickland]]|authority-year= 1845 |species-count=two|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}

{{Species table/row
⚫
|name=[[Blue jay]] |binomial=[[Cyanocitta cristata]]
|image=File:Bluejay (Cyanocitta cristata) (1547) - Relic38.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Linnaeus|authority-year= 1758 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= Eastern Canada, eastern and central United States<ref name="BirdsOfNorthAmerica" />
|range-image=File:Cyanocitta cristata map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=25–34 cm, 70–100 g<ref name="blue"/>
|habitat=coniferous forest and scrub habitat
|hunting=seeds and nuts, such as [[acorn]]s, soft fruits, [[arthropods]], and small vertebrates.
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Four subspecies |bullets=on
| ''C. c. bromia''
| ''C. c. cristata''
| ''C. c. cyanotephra''
| ''C. c. semplei''
⚫
}}
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[Steller's jay]] |binomial=[[Cyanocitta stelleri]]
|image=File:Stellers jay - natures pics.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Gmelin, JF |authority-year=1788 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= west of the Rocky Mountains
|range-image=File:Cyanocitta stelleri map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=30–34 cm, 100–142 g<ref name="steller"/>
|habitat=coniferous forests
|hunting= seeds, nuts, berries and other fruit, invertebrates, small rodents, eggs
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Thirteen subspecies |bullets=on
| ''C. s. stelleri'' ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin, JF]], 1788)
| ''C. s. carlottae'' [[Mabel Osgood Wright|Osgood]], 1901
| ''C. s. frontalis'' ([[John Livzey Ridgway|Ridgway]], 1873)
| ''C. s. carbonacea'' [[Joseph Grinnell|Grinnell]], 1900
| ''C. s. annectens'' ([[Spencer Fullerton Baird|Baird, SF]], 1874)
| ''C. s. macrolopha'' Baird, SF, 1854
| ''C. s. diademata'' ([[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1850)
| ''C. s. phillipsi'' Browning, 1993
\ ''C. s. azteca'' Ridgway, 1899
| ''C. s. coronata'' ([[William John Swainson|Swainson]], 1827)
| ''C. s. purpurea'' [[John Warren Aldrich|Aldrich]], 1944
| ''C. s. restricta'' [[Allan Robert Phillips|Phillips, AR]], 1966
| ''C. s. suavis'' Miller, W & [[Ludlow Griscom|Griscom]], 1925
}}
}}

{{Species table/end}}


The name ''Cyanocitta'' is a combination of the [[Greek language|Greek]] words ''kuanos'', meaning "dark blue", and ''kitta'', meaning "jay".<ref name = "Jobling"/>
The name ''Cyanocitta'' is a combination of the [[Greek language|Greek]] words ''kuanos'', meaning "dark blue", and ''kitta'', meaning "jay".<ref name = "Jobling"/>

==Distribution==
Crested jays inhabit temperate North America, divided by the North American Cordillera. This distribution likely resulted from glaciation during the last ice age. The blue jay occupies the flat eastern regions up to the [[Rocky Mountains]], while the Steller's jay is found in the western mountains and adjacent temperate areas. Both species overlap only in southwestern Canada, reaching the warm temperate zone's northern edge in Canada and Alaska. They are absent in arid deserts, valleys, and coastal regions, with distribution becoming more fragmented to the south. Only the Steller's jay extends into tropical regions, inhabiting cooler mountains as far south as Nicaragua. During the Pleistocene, it likely persisted in ice-free southern and western areas, spreading into the Rockies post-glaciation.<ref name="o594">{{cite journal | last1=BURG | first1=THERESA M. | last2=GASTON | first2=ANTHONY J. | last3=WINKER | first3=KEVIN | last4=FRIESEN | first4=VICKI L. | title=Rapid divergence and postglacial colonization in western North American Steller's jays (<i>Cyanocitta stelleri</i>) | journal=Molecular Ecology | publisher=Wiley | volume=14 | issue=12 | date=2005-09-07 | issn=0962-1083 | doi=10.1111/j.1365-294x.2005.02710.x | pages=3745–3755| pmid=16202093 | bibcode=2005MolEc..14.3745B }}</ref>

The two species differ in migratory habits: the Steller's jay is primarily resident, moving only from high altitudes in winter, while the blue jay migrates seasonally, especially from northern regions.<ref name="blue"/> In southern areas, like Florida, blue jays are resident.<ref name="blue"/> Steller's jays may migrate more widely after breeding seasons if food is scarce, with many juveniles moving to peripheral areas.<ref name="steller"/>
Habitat
===Habitat===
Crested jays prefer open forests, forest edges, parklands, and urban green spaces, showing a strong preference for oak trees when available.<ref name="w713">{{cite book | last1=Goodwin | first1=Derek | last2=Gillmor | first2=Robert | title=Crows of the world | publisher=Natural History Museum Publications | publication-place=London | date=1986 | isbn=0-565-00979-6 | page=}}</ref><ref name="d640">{{cite book | last1=Hoyo | first1=Josep del | last2=Elliott | first2=Andrew | title=Handbook of the Birds of the World: Bush-shrikes to Old World sparrows | publisher=Lynx ed | publication-place=Barcelona | date=1992 | isbn=978-84-96553-50-7 | language=de | page=}}</ref> Both species thrive in coniferous and mixed forests, with blue jays also frequenting pure deciduous forests. Blue jays adapt well to urban areas, often reaching higher densities than in forests, while Steller's jays are less common in human-populated areas, preferring altitudes between 1,000 and 3,500 meters. Blue jays, in contrast, range widely, from coastal beaches to the Appalachian Mountains.<ref name="blue"/>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist | refs =
{{Reflist | refs =
<ref name = "ITIS">{{cite web | url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=179679 | title = ITIS Report: ''Cyanocitta'' | publisher = [[Integrated Taxonomic Information System]] | accessdate = 9 July 2015}}</ref>
<ref name = "ITIS">{{cite web | url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=179679 | title = ITIS Report: ''Cyanocitta'' | publisher = [[Integrated Taxonomic Information System]] | access-date = 9 July 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="BirdsOfNorthAmerica">{{Cite web |url=https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/blujay/introduction |title=Blue Jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') |last=Smith |first=Kimberley G. |last2=Tarvin |first2=Kevin A. |date=2013-12-04 |editor-last=Poole |editor-first=A. F. |website=The Birds of North America Online |publisher=[[Cornell Lab of Ornithology]] |location=Ithaca, New York |doi=10.2173/bna.469 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2019-08-14 |last3=Woolfenden |first3=Glen E.}}</ref>
<ref name="BirdsOfNorthAmerica">{{Cite journal |url=https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/blujay/introduction |title=Blue Jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') |last1=Smith |first1=Kimberley G. |last2=Tarvin |first2=Kevin A. |date=2013-12-04 |editor-last=Poole |editor-first=A. F. |journal=The Birds of North America Online |publisher=[[Cornell Lab of Ornithology]] |location=Ithaca, New York |doi=10.2173/bna.469 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2019-08-14 |last3=Woolfenden |first3=Glen E.}}</ref>
<ref name = "Jobling">{{cite book | title = The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Names | first = James A. | last = Jobling | year = 2010 | location = London, UK | publisher = Christopher Helm | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page = 126 }}</ref>
<ref name = "Jobling">{{cite book | title = The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Names | url = https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997 | url-access = limited | first = James A. | last = Jobling | year = 2010 | location = London, UK | publisher = Christopher Helm | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page = [https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997/page/n126 126] }}</ref>
}}
}}

==External links==
==External links==
* {{Commonscat-inline|Cyanocitta|''Cyanocitta''}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Cyanocitta|''Cyanocitta''}}
* {{Wikispecies-inline|Cyanocitta|''Cyanocitta''}}
* {{Wikispecies-inline|Cyanocitta|''Cyanocitta''}}

{{Corvidae}}
{{Corvidae}}
{{Corvides|Co.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q826027}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q826027}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Cyanocitta|*]]
[[Category:Cyanocitta| ]]
[[Category:Bird genera]]
[[Category:Bird genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Hugh Edwin Strickland]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Hugh Edwin Strickland]]



{{Corvidae-stub}}
{{Corvidae-stub}}

Latest revision as of 10:56, 9 December 2024

Cyanocitta
C. cristata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Cyanocitta
Strickland, 1845
Type species
Corvus cristatus
Linnaeus, 1758
Species
Distribution of the Cyanocitta jays in North America. Red: Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), black: Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). Dotted line: irregular wintering, dashed line: irregular breeding.

Cyanocitta is a genus of birds in the family Corvidae, a family which contains the crows, jays and magpies. The genus includes two crested jays with blue plumage and a distinctive feather crest. Found only in temperate North America, the Rocky Mountains divide the two species. These jays inhabit deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests, feeding mainly on seeds, invertebrates, and small vertebrates, with occasional human food. As omnivores, they breed from spring to early summer, nesting in treetops or bushes with clutches of three to six eggs. They are the only American corvids that use mud in nest-building. Despite their similarities, the two species differ in migratory behavior, socialization, and mating habits.

Description

[edit]

Crested jays are relatively slender corvids with similar body shapes but differ in size. Steller’s jay is larger than the blue jay. Their strong black beaks have a small hooked tip and minimal bristles. They have slightly rounded, medium-to-long tails and relatively short wings. A feathered crest is more pronounced in Steller's jay. Both species are blue, black, and white with distinct black-banded tails and wings—a unique trait among American corvids. Males are slightly larger, but both sexes have similar coloring.[1][2]

Flight

[edit]

Steller’s jay has powerful, steady wing beats, while the blue jay’s long-distance flight includes flatter beats, alternating with gliding over short distances. Both species prefer hopping over walking on the ground and are agile in trees.[1][2]

Vocalization

[edit]

Crested jays have diverse vocal repertoires, from croaks and energetic calls to melodic sounds. Both species are skilled imitators, mimicking buzzard calls, other birds, mammals, and even mechanical noises. The purpose of this mimicry in the wild is still debated.[1][2]

Systematics

[edit]

Established by Hugh Edwin Strickland in 1845, it contains the following species and subspecies:[3]

Genus Cyanocitta – Strickland, 1845 – two species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Blue jay

Cyanocitta cristata
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Four subspecies
  • C. c. bromia
  • C. c. cristata
  • C. c. cyanotephra
  • C. c. semplei
Eastern Canada, eastern and central United States[4]
Map of range 		Size: 25–34 cm, 70–100 g[2]

Habitat: coniferous forest and scrub habitat

Diet: seeds and nuts, such as acorns, soft fruits, arthropods, and small vertebrates. 		 LC 


Steller's jay

Cyanocitta stelleri
(Gmelin, JF, 1788)

Thirteen subspecies
  • C. s. stelleri (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
  • C. s. carlottae Osgood, 1901
  • C. s. frontalis (Ridgway, 1873)
  • C. s. carbonacea Grinnell, 1900
  • C. s. annectens (Baird, SF, 1874)
  • C. s. macrolopha Baird, SF, 1854
  • C. s. diademata (Bonaparte, 1850)
  • C. s. phillipsi Browning, 1993 \ C. s. azteca Ridgway, 1899
  • C. s. coronata (Swainson, 1827)
  • C. s. purpurea Aldrich, 1944
  • C. s. restricta Phillips, AR, 1966
  • C. s. suavis Miller, W & Griscom, 1925
west of the Rocky Mountains
Map of range 		Size: 30–34 cm, 100–142 g[1]

Habitat: coniferous forests

Diet: seeds, nuts, berries and other fruit, invertebrates, small rodents, eggs 		 LC 



The name Cyanocitta is a combination of the Greek words kuanos, meaning "dark blue", and kitta, meaning "jay".[5]

Distribution

[edit]

Crested jays inhabit temperate North America, divided by the North American Cordillera. This distribution likely resulted from glaciation during the last ice age. The blue jay occupies the flat eastern regions up to the Rocky Mountains, while the Steller's jay is found in the western mountains and adjacent temperate areas. Both species overlap only in southwestern Canada, reaching the warm temperate zone's northern edge in Canada and Alaska. They are absent in arid deserts, valleys, and coastal regions, with distribution becoming more fragmented to the south. Only the Steller's jay extends into tropical regions, inhabiting cooler mountains as far south as Nicaragua. During the Pleistocene, it likely persisted in ice-free southern and western areas, spreading into the Rockies post-glaciation.[6]

The two species differ in migratory habits: the Steller's jay is primarily resident, moving only from high altitudes in winter, while the blue jay migrates seasonally, especially from northern regions.[2] In southern areas, like Florida, blue jays are resident.[2] Steller's jays may migrate more widely after breeding seasons if food is scarce, with many juveniles moving to peripheral areas.[1] Habitat

Habitat

[edit]

Crested jays prefer open forests, forest edges, parklands, and urban green spaces, showing a strong preference for oak trees when available.[7][8] Both species thrive in coniferous and mixed forests, with blue jays also frequenting pure deciduous forests. Blue jays adapt well to urban areas, often reaching higher densities than in forests, while Steller's jays are less common in human-populated areas, preferring altitudes between 1,000 and 3,500 meters. Blue jays, in contrast, range widely, from coastal beaches to the Appalachian Mountains.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Walker, Lauren E.; Pyle, Peter; Patten, Michael A.; Greene, Erick; Davison, William; Muehter, Vincent R. (2016-07-01). "Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)". The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bna.343.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Smith, Kimberly G.; Tarvin, Keith A.; Woolfenden, Glen E. (2013-12-04). "Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)". The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bna.469.
  3. ^ "ITIS Report: Cyanocitta". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  4. ^ Smith, Kimberley G.; Tarvin, Kevin A.; Woolfenden, Glen E. (2013-12-04). Poole, A. F. (ed.). "Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)". The Birds of North America Online. Ithaca, New York: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bna.469. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  5. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Names. London, UK: Christopher Helm. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. ^ BURG, THERESA M.; GASTON, ANTHONY J.; WINKER, KEVIN; FRIESEN, VICKI L. (2005-09-07). "Rapid divergence and postglacial colonization in western North American Steller's jays (Cyanocitta stelleri)". Molecular Ecology. 14 (12). Wiley: 3745–3755. Bibcode:2005MolEc..14.3745B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2005.02710.x. ISSN 0962-1083. PMID 16202093.
  7. ^ Goodwin, Derek; Gillmor, Robert (1986). Crows of the world. London: Natural History Museum Publications. ISBN 0-565-00979-6.
  8. ^ Hoyo, Josep del; Elliott, Andrew (1992). Handbook of the Birds of the World: Bush-shrikes to Old World sparrows (in German). Barcelona: Lynx ed. ISBN 978-84-96553-50-7.
[edit]


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