Animal Diversity Web

Di­ver­sity

Cyanoco­rax is a genus of New World jays lo­cated pri­mar­ily in South Amer­ica. Cyanoco­rax con­tains sev­en­teen species that are very di­verse in their mor­phol­ogy and col­oriza­tion. They are known to act like typ­i­cal jays with sim­i­lar vo­cal­iza­tions. Many live in co­op­er­a­tive groups. There is even hy­bridiza­tion be­tween some species. They live in drier neotrop­i­cal forests rang­ing from the south of North Amer­ica to Ar­gentina. Due to their di­ver­sity, Cyanoco­rax has gone through many changes in the for­mat of their phy­lo­ge­netic tree. Today, they have two clades with Psilorhi­nus morio and Calocitta part of one of the clades. With such a large di­ver­sity, there is more in­for­ma­tion about Cyanoco­rax that still hasn't been dis­cov­ered. (Apoli­nario and Fabio Sil­veira, 2019; Bar­ros, et al., 2014; Bonac­corso, 2007; Bonac­corso, et al., 2010; Hope, 1989)

Ge­o­graphic Range

Cyanoco­rax can be found from the south­ern United States to the west side of Ecuador and east of Brazil all the way south to Ar­gentina. (Bonac­corso, 2007; Bonac­corso, et al., 2010)

• Biogeographic Regions
• neotropical
  • native

Habi­tat

Cyanoco­rax live in drier neotrop­i­cal forests. They build nests in the trees or thick brush. The nests are typ­i­cally cir­cu­lar and are built with twigs, roots, branches, fiber. Some­times, they will add lit­ter to the nest. Cyanoco­rax for­age in the trees and the ground. Not much is known on how they for­age but some species are known to fol­low ants. They eat the in­sects the ants chase out and the ants them­selves. (Bar­ros, et al., 2014; Bonac­corso, 2007; Bonac­corso, et al., 2010; Gor­don and Or­nelas, 2000; Gus­tavo Ro­drigues França and Da Silva Braz Biotemas, 2009; Hope, 1989; Lasky and Keitt, 2010; Ue­jima, et al., 2012)

• Habitat Regions
• tropical
• terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest
• rainforest
• scrub forest

Sys­tem­atic and Tax­o­nomic His­tory

Due to the di­verse mor­phol­ogy, Cyanoco­rax has un­der­gone many changes. At first it was split into four groups Xan­thoura, Cis­silopha, Uroleuca, and Cyanoco­rax. Calocitta and Psilorhi­nus were once con­sid­ered to be sub­gen­era to Cyanoco­rax but are now con­sid­ered to be their own taxa and sis­ter to Cyanoco­rax. Re­cently, re­searchers have been using mol­e­c­u­lar data to try to piece to­gether a tree using five dif­fer­ent genes. These genes are used as synapo­mor­phies for the tree since mor­pho­log­i­cally, Cyanoco­rax are too di­verse. Cyanoco­rax is pa­ra­phyletic but ends up being mono­phyletic if Calocitta and Psilorhi­nus are in­cluded. (Bonac­corso, 2007; Bonac­corso, et al., 2010; Reich, et al., 2010)

• Synonyms

  • Xanthoura
  • Cissilopha
  • Uroleuca
  • Calocitta
  • Psilorhinus

• Synapomorphies

  • ND2
  • cytb
  • AK5
  • ßfib7
  • TGFß2.5

Phys­i­cal De­scrip­tion

Cyanoco­rax species have a large va­ri­ety in sizes, mor­phol­ogy, and col­oration. Some species are small jays with bright fa­cial mark­ings and long, spiked frontal crests ex­cept Cyanoco­rax chrysops which have a long bristly frontal crest. These small jays are dark blue ex­cept for Cyanoco­rax yncas which are green. The rest are large jays with planer fa­cial mark­ings and short, lax frontal crests ex­cept for Cyanoco­rax cristatel­lus which have a curly frontal crest. These big jays are dark blue, pur­ple, or brown. (Hope, 1989; Ridgely and Tudor, 1989)

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic
• bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes alike

Re­pro­duc­tion

Cyanoco­rax are co­op­er­a­tive breed­ers where there is one pri­mary fe­male that mates with mul­ti­ple males. Ju­ve­niles from pre­vi­ous broods will stay with the group to help with fu­ture broods. Fe­males will typ­i­cally stay with the group for their en­tire lives as helpers while males leave to join a dif­fer­ent group after one to two years. The old­est fe­male is the breeder and will sup­press the other fe­males from breed­ing. Es­tab­lish­ing a breed­ing pair is unique in each species but there are some sim­i­lar­i­ties. The most com­mon ways for a pair to bond is through al­lo­preen­ing and allofeed­ing. The mat­ing dances are done on a perch and are a mix of head and body bob­bing, feather fluff­ing or erect­ing, tail move­ments, and vo­cal­iza­tions. De­fenses are done as a group by mob­bing a preda­tor until it re­treats. (Apoli­nario and Fabio Sil­veira, 2019; Bosque and Molina, 2002; Reich, et al., 2010; Ue­jima, et al., 2012; Williams, 2004)

• Mating System
• polyandrous
• cooperative breeder

Re­pro­duc­tion in Cyanoco­rax has only been stud­ied in a few species but there are sim­i­lar­i­ties. These jays do com­mu­nal breed­ing where there is one breed­ing pair. The rest of the jays are fam­ily mem­bers that stay with the breed­ing pair to pro­tect and raise the young. In­cu­ba­tion lasts about 20 days while fledg­ing oc­curs around one month. It can take about two years after fledg­ing for a ju­ve­nile to ma­ture into an adult. The sea­son of breed­ing is in the spring and some­times sum­mer. The size of the clutch is around two to five eggs. Fer­til­iza­tion oc­curs in­ter­nally in the pri­mary fe­male. The pri­mary fe­male is the only one that breeds with mul­ti­ple males. Some­times sec­ondary fe­males are able to breed but it rarely oc­curs. Mul­ti­ple birds have ac­cess to the nest with no ag­gres­sion oc­cur­ring in the group. There has been some hy­bridiza­tion recorded be­tween sis­ter species but it rarely oc­curs. (Apoli­nario and Fabio Sil­veira, 2019; Bosque and Molina, 2002; Reich, et al., 2010; Ue­jima, et al., 2012; Williams, 2004)

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous
• seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual
• fertilization
  • internal
• oviparous

Cyanoco­rax par­ents put a lot of in­vest­ment into their young. They are co­op­er­a­tive breed­ers where pre­vi­ous off­spring help their par­ents raise fu­ture off­spring. All mem­bers of the group pro­vide food and pro­tec­tion to the brood. The pri­mary fe­male will in­cu­bate the eggs and will some­times switch with other fe­males. The young are com­pletely de­pen­dent on the group until they fledge. After fledg­ing, they learn how to hunt and pro­tect the nest from the older group mem­bers. They still have to be fed and pro­tected by the group for one to two months. After two years, the males leave to find a dif­fer­ent group while the fe­males stay as helpers. (Apoli­nario and Fabio Sil­veira, 2019; Bosque and Molina, 2002; Reich, et al., 2010; Ue­jima, et al., 2012; Williams, 2004)

• Parental Investment
• altricial
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
  • protecting
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
  • protecting
• pre-independence
  • provisioning
  • protecting
• post-independence association with parents
• maternal position in the dominance hierarchy affects status of young

Lifes­pan/Longevity

Cyanoco­rax species have a va­ri­ety of lifes­pans based on size. Small species like Cyanoco­rax yncas can live up to 12 years while large species like Cyanoco­rax caeruleus can live up to 40 years. (Planck-Gesellschaft, 2002; Reich, et al., 2010)

Be­hav­ior

Cyanoco­rax species are so­cial birds that live in co­op­er­a­tive groups. They for­age and travel to­gether. Some species form mixed species flocks. There is a so­cial hi­er­ar­chy based on who gets to breed in the group. There is usu­ally one mat­ing pair, where the mat­ing fe­male has dom­i­nance over other fe­males. They build nests in trees and for­age in the trees and ground. Their nests are built with sticks and twigs on the out­side with roots and fiber on the in­side. The sticks pro­vide strength while the roots make the nest more com­fort­able. Some­times they will use other ma­te­ri­als based on what is avail­able. Some species fol­low groups of ants as a food source. They will eat the in­sects that the ants chase out of their homes or the ants them­selves. Only the young are known to face pre­da­tion be­cause they can­not fly and have no phys­i­cal de­fenses that are fully de­vel­oped. Adults pro­tect young by mob­bing preda­tors until they re­treat. Cyanoco­rax species are noisy and com­mu­ni­cate using unique vo­cal­iza­tions. Each species have their own way to find a mate. They will bob their head and body, move their feath­ers, and make spe­cific vo­cal­iza­tions. Some­times the male will bring the fe­male food and they will al­lo­preen. They are most ac­tive in the day. (Apoli­nario and Fabio Sil­veira, 2019; Bar­ros, et al., 2014; Bonac­corso, 2007; Bosque and Molina, 2002; Gus­tavo Ro­drigues França and Da Silva Braz Biotemas, 2009; Hope, 1989; Reich, et al., 2010; Ridgely and Tudor, 1989; Ue­jima, et al., 2012; Williams, 2004)

• Key Behaviors
• arboreal
• flies
• diurnal
• motile
• sedentary
• territorial
• social
• dominance hierarchies

Com­mu­ni­ca­tion and Per­cep­tion

Cyanoco­rax species com­mu­ni­cate and per­ceive the world pri­mar­ily through vi­sion and sounds. They can see the color spec­trum but they can also see UV light. Vi­sion is used for for­ag­ing and com­mu­ni­ca­tion. Vi­su­als are mostly used for courtships where both sexes bob their head and body, move their feath­ers, and turn their head. Each type of dance is unique to each species. For vo­cal­iza­tions, it is their main form of com­mu­ni­ca­tion. Adults use vo­cal­iza­tions as alarms, mim­icry, or to find mates. Young Cyanoco­rax use it to beg for food or seek pro­tec­tion. Each species has a unique set of calls that can help dis­tin­guish them from other species. Cyanoco­rax species are known to be loud dur­ing the day due to how so­cial they are. They can range from ring­ing to chit­ter­ing to click­ing. (Bar­ros, et al., 2014; Berger, 2012; Bosque and Molina, 2002; Hope, 1989; Reich, et al., 2010; Ridgely and Tudor, 1989; Ue­jima, et al., 2012)

• Communication Channels
• visual
• acoustic

• Other Communication Modes
• mimicry
• duets
• choruses

• Perception Channels
• visual
• ultraviolet
• tactile
• acoustic
• chemical

Food Habits

Cyanoco­rax species have a di­verse diet. They are om­ni­vores that feast on arthro­pods, berries, other small fruits, nuts, acorns, and seeds. Some species will even eat the eggs of other bird species and lizards. Some are also known to fol­low army ants so that they can eat the in­sects the army ants flush out of their hid­ing places or the ants them­selves. Some species store and cache their food. (Bar­ros, et al., 2014; Gus­tavo Ro­drigues França and Da Silva Braz Biotemas, 2009; Reich, et al., 2010; Ue­jima, et al., 2012)

• Primary Diet
• carnivore
  • eats terrestrial vertebrates
  • eats eggs
  • insectivore
• herbivore
  • frugivore
  • granivore
• omnivore

• Foraging Behavior
• stores or caches food

Pre­da­tion

Cyanoco­rax species have many preda­tors. They are mainly hunted when they are ju­ve­niles and are un­able to pro­tect them­selves. This is why adults stay with young until they are ma­ture. Cyanoco­rax species live in so­cial groups and mob preda­tors. Nest­ing adults send out a warn­ing call if a preda­tor is near so that for­ag­ing adults can re­turn to mob the preda­tor. Com­mon preda­tors are snakes(Lep­i­dosauria), hawks(Ac­cip­itri­dae), owls(St­rigi­dae), tree squir­rels(Sci­uri­dae), igua­nas(Iguanidae), and crows(Corvi­dae). (Bosque and Molina, 2002; Reich, et al., 2010)

• Known Predators

  • Snakes Lepidosauria
  • Tree squirrels Sciuridae
  • Iguanas Iguanidae
  • Hawks Accipitridae
  • Owls Strigidae
  • Crows Corvidae

Ecosys­tem Roles

Cyanoco­rax species are om­ni­vores that help con­trol the arthro­pod pop­u­la­tions. They are also a source of prey for snakes, hawks, owls, crows, igua­nas, and tree squir­rels. Cyanoco­rax species are com­men­sal­is­tic with army ants. They fol­low army ants and eat the prey they flush out and some­times the ants them­selves. Cyanoco­rax species are also a host to ne­ma­todes such as Vik­toro­cara species. Since they eat seeds, this helps with the dis­per­sal of seeds of smaller fruits and nuts. (Pinto, et al., 1997; Reich, et al., 2010)

• Ecosystem Impact
• disperses seeds

Eco­nomic Im­por­tance for Hu­mans: Pos­i­tive

Due to how col­or­ful Cyanoco­rax species are, they helped in­crease eco­tourism in South Amer­ica. Sci­en­tists re­cently have started to get mol­e­c­u­lar data on them to trace back their his­tory and fig­ure out their tree due to how often it is changed. Their feath­ers are also a valu­able ma­te­r­ial used for fash­ion and dec­o­ra­tions. Since they eat arthro­pods, Cyanoco­rax species help con­trol pest pop­u­la­tions in their range. (Reich, et al., 2010)

• Positive Impacts
• body parts are source of valuable material
• ecotourism
• research and education
• controls pest population

Eco­nomic Im­por­tance for Hu­mans: Neg­a­tive

Cyanoco­rax species are a main rea­son to stop de­for­esta­tion but at an eco­nomic cost to the com­mu­nity who have to use more eco­nomic meth­ods that tend to be more ex­pen­sive. (Reich, et al., 2010)

Con­ser­va­tion Sta­tus

Most Cyanoco­rax species are con­sid­ered Least Con­cern by BirdLife In­ter­na­tional with some being Near Threat­ened on the 2009 IUCN Red List Cat­e­gory and some being Threat­ened or En­dan­gered under Mex­i­can Law. The biggest threats to the Cyanoco­rax species are de­for­esta­tion, un­sus­tain­able log­ging, and clear­ing for agri­cul­tural, drug, and graz­ing pur­poses. Cur­rently, some Cyanoco­rax species are being pro­tected by dif­fer­ent com­mu­ni­ties as a way to pro­mote eco­tourism. Cyanoco­rax dick­eyi is a good ex­am­ple of a com­mu­nity com­ing to­gether to form a con­ser­va­tion plan in Con­cor­dia to pro­tect it. Some species like Cyanoco­rax vi­o­laceus have ben­e­fited from de­for­esta­tion be­cause they pre­fer to live in for­est edge habi­tats. (Gor­don and Or­nelas, 2000; Reich, et al., 2010)

• IUCN Red List [Link]

  Not Evaluated

Other Com­ments

Cyanoco­rax species have been a good taxon to use for mol­e­c­u­lar re­search. This is due to its di­verse mor­phol­ogy and lit­tle re­search on be­hav­ior. Ge­nomic in­for­ma­tion has helped in­crease the un­der­stand­ing of the re­la­tion­ships within Cyanoco­rax species and its sis­ter taxa. Re­searchers are now start­ing to focus on the breed­ing, so­cial, and for­ag­ing be­hav­iors of each Cyanoco­rax species. (Reich, et al., 2010)

Con­trib­u­tors

My­chaela Hodous (au­thor), Col­orado State Uni­ver­sity, Tanya Dewey (ed­i­tor), Uni­ver­sity of Michi­gan-Ann Arbor.

Ref­er­ences

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