NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black-headed Jay
Garrulus lanceolatus Vigors, 1831
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 black-headed jay or lanceolated jay (Garrulus lanceolatus) is a species of passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae. It is found in open wooded country across the Himalayas and into eastern Afghanistan. A relatively large songbird, it has a largely grey body with a black head, an untidy crest, white streaks on the throat, and a pale bill. It is roughly the same size as its close relative the Eurasian jay, but a little more slender overall.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-headed jay; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:25:00.999215+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Garrulus lanceolatus Vigors, 1831
- Name authority
- Vigors, 1831
- Common name
- Black-headed Jay
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Garrulus
- 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
- genusGarrulus Brisson, 1760
- speciesGarrulus lanceolatus Vigors, 1831
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Garrulus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Lidth's JayGarrulus lidthi Bonaparte, 1850 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
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.
- Vigors, & Nicholas Aylward. (1831). November 23, 1830. Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London, Vol. 1. 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:3FBSB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.