Cyanocorax

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.

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.

• Biogeographic Regions
• neotropical neotropical
  • native 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.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest
• rainforest rainforest
• scrub forest 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.

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.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• bilateral symmetry 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.

• Mating System
• polyandrous polyandrous
• cooperative breeder 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.

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

• Parental Investment
• altricial 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.

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.

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

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• acoustic acoustic

• Other Communication Modes
• mimicry mimicry
• duets duets
• choruses choruses

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

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

• Foraging Behavior
• stores or caches food 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 ).

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.

• 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.

• Positive Impacts
• body parts are source of valuable material
• ecotourism 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.

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.

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.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

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

References

Apolinario, C., L. Fabio Silveira. 2019. Hybridism between Cyanocorax chrysops and Cyanocorax cyanopogon (Aves: Corvidae) in Brazil. Zoologia (Curitiba) , 36: 1-7. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e32138 .

Barros, R., C. Costa, M. Pascotto. 2014. Diet and feeding behavior of the White-naped Jay, Cyanocorax cyanopogon (Wied, 1821) (Aves, Passeriformes, Corvidae) in a disturbed environment in central Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology , 74(4): 899-905. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.09313 .

Berger, C. 2012. "True Colors: How Birds See the World" (On-line). Accessed February 22, 2020 at https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2012/AugSept/Animals/Bird-Vision .

Bonaccorso, E., A. Peterson, A. Navarro-Siguenza, R. Fleischer. 2010. Molecular systematics and evolution of the Cyanocorax jays. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution , 54: 897-909. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.11.014 .

Bonaccorso, E. 2007. Evolution of the New World jays (Corvidae): Phylogeny, biogeography, and ecology . Ann Arbor: ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/docview/304856261/abstract/961208F8645549FCPQ/1?accountid=10223 .

Bosque, C., C. Molina. 2002. Communal breeding and nest defense behavior of the Cayenne Jay (Cyanocorax cayanus). Journal of Field Ornithology , 73(4): 360-362. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://doi.org/10.1648/0273-8570-73.4.360 .

Gordon, C., J. Ornelas. 2000. Comparing endemism and habitat restriction in Mesoamerican tropical deciduous forest birds: implications for biodiversity conservation planning. Bird Conservation International , 10(4): 289-303. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://doi-org.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/10.1017/S0959270900000241 .

Gustavo Rodrigues França, F., V. Da Silva Braz Biotemas. 2009. Predation on the lizard Polychrus acutirostris (Squamata, Polychrotidae) by the curl-crested jay Cyanocorax cristatellus (Aves, Corvidae) in the Cerrado of Central Brazil. Biotemas , 22(3): 243-245. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2009v22n3p243 .

Hope, S. 1989. Phylogeny of the avian family Corvidae . Ann Arbor: ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/docview/303702253/abstract/3771EE14A09C4F94PQ/1?accountid=10223 .

Lasky, J., T. Keitt. 2010. Abundance of Panamanian dry-forest birds along gradients of forest cover at multiple scales. Journal of Tropical Ecology , 26(1): 67-78. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://doi-org.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/10.1017/S0266467409990368 .

Pinto, R., V. Júlio, D. Noronha. 1997. Nematode Parasites of Brazilian Corvid Birds (Passeriformes): A General Survey with a Description of Viktorocara brasiliensis n. sp. (Acuariidae, Schistorophinae). Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz , 92(2): 209-214. Accessed March 01, 2020 at 10.1590 .

Planck-Gesellschaft, M. 2002. "Longevity Records" (On-line). Accessed February 22, 2020 at https://www.demogr.mpg.de/longevityrecords/0303.htm .

Reich, S., A. Kumar, M. Baran, A. Brandreth Potter, S. Brady, D. Molfetto, C. Ghalambor, L. Power, A. Duvall, K. Adams, M. Kittelson. 2010. "Neotropical Birds Online" (On-line). Accessed February 22, 2020 at https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/home .

Ridgely, R., G. Tudor. 1989. The Birds of South America: Volume 1: The Oscine Passerines . Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. Accessed February 15, 2020 at https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tRBb15pk4w0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&ots=TwTtPLJrKc&sig=o4kd6AN2CeZMrtVZ07N-0YVy1TE#v=onepage&q&f=false .

Uejima, A., A. Boesing, L. Dos Anjos. 2012. BREEDING AND FORAGING VARIATION OF THE PLUSH-CRESTED JAY (CYANOCORAX CHRYSOPS) IN THE BRAZILIAN ATLANTIC FOREST. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology , 124(1): 87-95. Accessed February 01, 2020 at https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/stable/41932804?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents .

Williams, D. 2004. Female control of reproductive skew in cooperatively breeding brown jays (Cyanocorax morio). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology , 55(4): 370-380. Accessed February 16, 2020 at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-003-0728-7 .