NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Turquoise Jay
Cyanolyca turcosa (Bonaparte, 1853)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The turquoise jay (Cyanolyca turcosa) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
The turquoise jay is a vibrant blue jay with a black face mask and collar. It is found exclusively in South America throughout southern Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. The turquoise jay prefers a humid habitat of montane evergreen forest and elfin forest with both primary and secondary growth. This bird is omnivorous and is known to eat insects, berries, eggs, and young birds of other species. Turquoise jays are nonmigratory and tend to travel in mixed flocks.
Wikipedia contributors, Turquoise jay; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:31:03.817582+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cyanolyca turcosa (Bonaparte, 1853)
- Name authority
- (Bonaparte, 1853)
- Common name
- Turquoise Jay
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Cyanolyca
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCorvidae Leach, 1820
- genusCyanolyca Cabanis, 1851
- speciesCyanolyca turcosa (Bonaparte, 1853)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cyanolyca. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Silvery-throated JayCyanolyca argentigula (Lawrence, 1875) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-collared JayCyanolyca armillata (G. R. Gray, 1845) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated JayCyanolyca mirabilis Nelson, 1903 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dwarf JayCyanolyca nanus (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1847) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-throated JayCyanolyca pumilo (Strickland, 1849) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-collared JayCyanolyca viridicyanus (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1838) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Beautiful JayCyanolyca pulchra (Lawrence, 1876) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Azure-hooded JayCyanolyca cucullata (Ridgway, 1885) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cyanocitta turcosa Bonaparte, 1853 Bonaparte, 1853 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=559643 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:32NNG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.