One of our more outrageously attractive jays, they were visiting feeders at the refuge. This is the northernmost subspecies "C. y. luxuosus" ranging from south Texas to adjacent Mexico. South American birds (Inca Jay) have a whitish nape, yellow iris, darker blue face and bushy nasal tufts. They also differ in vocalizations, occur at much higher elevations, and have helpers at the nest. Formerly considered separate species and still treated as such by some authors (e.g. IOC). However no formal proposal to split this species into Inca Jay in South America and Green Jay (C. luxuosus) in North and Middle America has yet been reviewed by the AOS or SACC. A proposal is currently pending before the AOS which recommends keeping them lumped.
