- Cyanolyca nanus
Identification
20-23cm.
- Slate blue body
- Black mask
- Narrow lavender supercilium
- Lavender throat
- Dark red-brown eye
- Black bill and legs
Sexes similar, females are slightly duller than males. Juveniles are duller and have a greenish-blue forehead and supercilium and a greyish-blue throat.
Distribution
Endemic to the mountains of Veracruz and adjacent Oaxaca and Puebla in eastern Mexico.
A restricted-range species with a declining population due to habitat loss.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
The scientific name is also spelled nana.
Habitat
Humid pine-oak-fir forest. Occurs between 1400m to 3200m.
Behaviour
Usually seen in pairs, sometimes in small flocks associating with other birds like Grey-barred Wren.
Diet
Feeds on arthropods.
Breeding
Breeding season from March to July. A solitary nester. The nest is a bulky compact mass made of mosses, lichens and some twigs. It's placed 3 - 15m above the ground in an oak. Lays 2 - 3 eggs.
A sedentary species.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Dwarf Jay. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 October 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Dwarf_Jay