NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Azure-hooded Jay
Cyanolyca cucullata (Ridgway, 1885)
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 azure-hooded jay (Cyanolyca cucullata) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in Middle America. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. This species is known to have four subspecies. It is 11 to 12 inches (28 to 30 cm) in length and is dark blue with a black head and upper chest. The back of the head and neck are sky blue with a white border.
The jays travel in groups of two to ten individuals and may join mixed-species flocks. It is a secretive species and therefore difficult to observe in the wild. As an omnivore, this jay eats berries, seeds, and small, dead animals. Females lay three to four eggs, and the young fledge after twenty days. This species is listed as Least Concern, meaning it is not threatened with extinction.
Wikipedia contributors, Azure-hooded jay; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:24:53.014812+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cyanolyca cucullata (Ridgway, 1885)
- Name authority
- (Ridgway, 1885)
- Common name
- Azure-hooded 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 cucullata (Ridgway, 1885)
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 |
| Turquoise JayCyanolyca turcosa (Bonaparte, 1853) | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cyanocorax cucullatus Ridgway, 1885 Ridgway, 1885 | 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=559638 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:6C52B. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.