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Tufted Jay

Cyanocorax dickeyi

Range & Recent Observations

Tufted Jayis a year-round resident and doesn't follow a migration flyway. See the Range tab for where it lives.

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Tufted Jay

The tufted jay (Cyanocorax dickeyi), also known as the painted jay and Dickey's jay, is a species of bird in the crow family Corvidae. It is endemic to a small area of the Sierra Madre Occidental in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Durango, and Nayarit. A distinctive large jay, it has a prominent dark crest on its head; purplish blue back, wings, and face; a white spot above the eye and on the cheek; white undersides; and a partially white tail. Its typical call is a quick, four-note vocalization. The relationship between the tufted jay and other members of the genus Cyanocorax has been a subject of interest since the species was first described in 1935. Because of the visual similarities between the tufted jay and the white-tailed jay, the two were thought by some to be closely related.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Cyanocorax dickeyi
Family
Crows, Jays, and Magpies
Order
Passeriformes

Similar species

Other members of the crows, jays, and magpies family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
  • Azure-hooded Jay Cyanolyca cucullata
  • Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus
  • Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia
  • Black-throated Jay Cyanolyca pumilo
  • Black-throated Magpie-Jay Cyanocorax colliei
  • Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
  • Brown Jay Cyanocorax morio
  • California Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
  • Canada Jay Perisoreus canadensis
  • Chihuahuan Raven Corvus cryptoleucus
  • Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana

Know when the Tufted Jay turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

How rare bird alerts work →

Gear for spotting Tufted Jay

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