Blue ravens

Blue ravens
	Cap blue raven ( Cyanocorax chrysops )
Systematics
Subclass :	New-jawed birds (Neognathae)
Order :	Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination :	Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily :	Corvoidea
Family :	Corvids (Corvidae)
Genre :	Blue ravens
Scientific name
	Cyanocorax
	Boie , 1826

The blue ravens ( Cyanocorax ) are a genus from the family of corvids .

features

All species have very dark, mostly black, head plumage. The color of the belly plumage ranges from blue to purple and black to bright white and yellow. Some species have blue facial plumage and tufted forehead plumage. The sexual dimorphism is not pronounced in the species. The smallest representatives, the green jays, are about 25–27 cm tall, the largest, the weeping blue ravens, are 35–41 cm tall.

distribution

Cyanocorax occurs in the Neotropics , from southern Texas over Central America to South America .

species

Four species make up the subgenus of the Cissilopha jay. These all have a black feathered head and a black underside as well as a blue top and a blue tail. They occur from Mexico to Nicaragua. In the geographical order of their distribution area:

Grief Blue Raven ( C. beecheii )
Acapulcoblaurabe ( C. sanblasianus )
Yucatanblaurabe ( C. yucatanicus )
Hartlaub's blue raven ( C. melanocyaneus )

In tropical South America, with ten different species, one encounters the greatest biodiversity in blue ravens. These too all have black head plumage. Most species have a white lower plumage, but some also have a gray, blue or purple color.

Cap blue raven ( C. chrysops )

Cayenne blue raven ( C. cayanus )

Dalmatian blue raven ( C. cristatellus )

Purple raven ( C. cyanomelas )

White- naped blue raven ( C. cyanopogon )

Lilac raven ( C. heilprini )

Bare-cheeked blue raven ( C. mystacalis )

Hyacinth blue raven ( C. violaceus )

Azure raven ( C. caeruleus )

Cyanocorax hafferi (first described in 2013)

The remaining four species are common in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. They too all have almost black head plumage and a light underside. The brown jay is not regarded by some scientists as a blue raven, but is the only representative of the genus Psilorhinus .