The black-collared jay (Cyanolyca armillata) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and jays. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics
The black-collared jay was originally described in 1845 as Cyanocorax armillatus. It and several other species were later moved to their current genus Cyanolyca.
The black-collared jay's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC, AviList, and the Clements taxonomy assign it these three subspecies:
- C. a. armillata (Gray, 1845)
- C. a. meridana Sclater & Salvin, 1876
- C. a. quindiuna Sclater & Salvin, 1876
However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats quindiuna as a separate species, the Quindio jay, and retains the English name "black-collared jay" for the other two subspecies. Clements does recognize the taxon within the species as the "black-collared jay (Quindio)".
This article follows the one-species, three-subspecies model.
Description
The black-collared jay is long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies C. a. armillata have a violaceous-blue crown and nape. Their forehead, lores, and sides of the head are black. Their throat and middle of the upper breast are ultramarine with a thin black border that connects to the rear of the black face. Most of the rest of their plumage is cyan-blue. The inner edges of their primaries are dark brown and the undersides of their wings and tail are blackish. Subspecies C. a. meridana is slightly darker and more purplish blue than the nominate. C. a. quindiuna is larger than the nominate. Its crown and nape are darker (more similar to its back color) and its body, wings, and tail have a greenish tinge. Juveniles are duller than adults and have a grayer throat and more grayish body feathers that have blue only on their tips. All subspecies have a dark brown iris, a black bill, and black legs and feet.
Behavior
Movement
The black-collared jay is a year-round resident.