Cyanocorax is a genus of New World jays, passerine birds in the family Corvidae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words κυανος (kuanos), meaning "dark blue," and κοραξ (korax), meaning "raven".[1] [2]
It contains several closely related species that primarily are found in wooded habitats of Mexico and Central and South America, with the green jay just barely entering the United States.
The genus Cyanocorax was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826, with the plush-crested jay as the type species.[3] [4]
The genus contains 17 species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyanocorax melanocyaneus | Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua | ||
| Cyanocorax sanblasianus | Mexico | ||
| Cyanocorax yucatanicus | Yucatán Peninsula | ||
| Cyanocorax beecheii | northwestern Mexico | ||
| Cyanocorax violaceus | Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela | ||
| Cyanocorax caeruleus | south-eastern Brazil (São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul), far eastern Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina | ||
| Cyanocorax cyanomelas | northern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay and southeastern Peru | ||
| Cyanocorax cristatellus | northeastern Brazil | ||
| Cyanocorax dickeyi | Sierra Madre Occidental of Sinaloa and Durango in Mexico | ||
| Cyanocorax affinis | Colombia, northwestern Venezuela, Panama and far eastern Costa Rica | ||
| Cyanocorax mystacalis | Ecuador and Peru | ||
| Cyanocorax cayanus | Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela | ||
| Cyanocorax heilprini | Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela | ||
| Cyanocorax chrysops | southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina | ||
| Cyanocorax cyanopogon | Brazil | ||
| Cyanocorax luxuosus | southern Texas to Honduras | ||
| Cyanocorax yncas | Colombia and Venezuela through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia | ||
Some ornithologists treat the green jay and the Inca jay as conspecific, with C. yncas luxuosus as the green jay and C. yncas yncas as the Inca jay.[6] [7]