Beautiful Jay
Cyanolyca pulchra
The beautiful jay is a species of bird in the crow and jay family Corvidae. It is closely related to the azure-hooded jay, and the two species are considered sister species.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_jay
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Corvidae
Genus
Cyanolyca
Beautiful Jay belongs to the family Corvidae, order Passeriformes, within the Aves class.
Species Profile
The beautiful jay is a species of bird in the crow and jay family Corvidae. It is closely related to the azure-hooded jay, and the two species are considered sister species. The species is monotypic, having no subspecies. The specific name for the beautiful jay, pulchra, is Latin for "beautiful".
The Beautiful Jay faces significant pressure from ongoing deforestation and habitat fragmentation throughout its limited range in the cloud forests of Central America. Agricultural expansion, logging, and human settlement development continue to reduce and isolate remaining forest patches, while climate change threatens to shift suitable habitat conditions upslope beyond available elevations.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Inhabits humid montane cloud forests and pine-oak forests at elevations between 1,200-3,000 meters in the mountains of Central America. Prefers dense forest canopy and edge habitats with abundant epiphytes and complex vertical structure.
Threats
Agricultural expansion
Deforestation and logging
Habitat fragmentation
Climate change impacts on montane habitats
Human settlement expansion
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Beautiful Jay (Cyanolyca pulchra). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/beautiful-jay