Bird Album
Purplish-backed Jay
Cyanocorax beecheii (Vigors, 1829)
41 cmLength193 gWeight
The purplish-backed jay (Cyanocorax beecheii) is a bird of the crow family Corvidae, with purple feathers on its back, wings, and tail and black feathers elsewhere.
Busiest months: January · Most records: Mexico
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: January · Most records: Mexico
Purplish-backed Jay has been recorded at 7 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- ChacalillaMexico225 records
- Estero El YugoMexico172 records
- Rio La TovaraMexico44 records
More places
- Camino SingaytaMexico42 records
- Granja de Camarón ChacalillaMexico13 records
- TecuitataMexico2 records
- Reserva de La Chara PintaMexico2 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The purplish-backed jay (Cyanocorax beecheii) is a bird of the crow family Corvidae, with purple feathers on its back, wings, and tail and black feathers elsewhere. It is endemic to northwestern Mexico, where its habitat is mainly dry deciduous forest. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being a "species of least concern".
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Purplish-backed Jay?
The Purplish-backed Jay is about 41 cm long and weighs around 193 g.
Where does the Purplish-backed Jay live?
Its breeding range: Middle America: northwestern Mexico. It is most often recorded in Mexico.
When is the best time to see the Purplish-backed Jay?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Purplish-backed Jay endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Purplish-backed Jay as Least Concern.
What does the Purplish-backed Jay eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Purplish-backed Jay in?
It belongs to the family Crows, Jays (Corvidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 41 cm
- Weight
- 193 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 171 mm
- Tail
- 189 mm
- Bill
- 42 mm
- Tarsus
- 52 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Middle America: northwestern Mexico
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Crows, Jays Corvidae
- Genus
- Cyanocorax
Other birds in the genus Cyanocorax
Black-throated Magpie-JayCyanocorax colliei
White-throated Magpie-JayCyanocorax formosus
Brown JayCyanocorax morio
Azure JayCyanocorax coeruleus
Violaceous JayCyanocorax violaceus
Purplish JayCyanocorax cyanomelas
Curl-crested JayCyanocorax cristatellus
Green JayCyanocorax yncas
White-tailed JayCyanocorax mystacalis
Bushy-crested JayCyanocorax melanocyaneus
Yucatan JayCyanocorax yucatanicus
San Blas JayCyanocorax sanblasianus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Francisco Farriols Sarabia. ↗
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