Azure Jay

The azure jay is 38 to 40 cm (15 to 16 in) long; one individual weighed 272 g (9.6 oz). The sexes have the same plumage that includes a short bushy crest on the forecrown. Adults have a sooty or black head, neck, and upper breast. The rest of their plumage is somewhat variable, with cobalt-blue, purplish blue, and greenish blue individuals. They have a dark brown iris, a black bill, and black legs and feet.

The azure jay is found in Brazil from southern São Paulo south through Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul almost to Uruguay. Its range continues into the northeastern Argentinian provinces of Formosa, Chaco, Corrientes, and Misiones. Most sources include eastern Paraguay in its range. There are historical records there whose identification is disputed and sight records from the late 1900s. The SACC has no records in that country but includes Uruguay in its range. BirdLife International includes Uruguay and questions its presence in Paraguay. The azure jay inhabits humid evergreen forest, especially that dominated by Araucaria angustifolia. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).

The azure jay is omnivorous but its diet has not been fully described. However, it appears to feed heavily on Araucaria angustifolia seeds, and plays an important role in its seed dispersal. It also is known to feed on other fruit, arthropods, small mammals, and eggs, and has been observed scavenging from a fresh cow carcass. It forages in small flocks that sometimes include plush-crested jays (C. chryops).