Fun Turquoise Jay Facts For Kids

Are you in pursuit of the colorful birds of the world? Then our article has some interesting facts for you to explore. We came up with a vibrant colored bird, the turquoise jay. The name indeed says the color of the bird. Isn't a pure turquoise color pleasing to the eyes?

These species belong to the order Passeriformes, commonly known as songbirds or perching birds, which constitute more than half of all the world's bird species. They belong to the Corvidae family, which has about 120 species, including crows, magpies, and jays. Most of the Corvidae bird family birds have strong built bodies, stout bills, and the giant Passeriformes. In addition, they have a harsh voice and advanced social group.

The beautiful jay, the black-collared jay (c armillata), the white-collared jay are similar species of turquoise jay. The beautiful jay (c armillata) is rare and exists only in Colombia and Ecuador.

You can also explore other exciting birds like blue jays and toco toucans in our other articles.
 

What type of animal is a turquoise jay?

A turquoise jay (Cyanolyca turcosa) is a sparkling- blue colored bird with a black mask that belongs to the Corvidae bird family and order Passeriformes.

What class of animal does a turquoise jay belong to?

A turquoise jay (Cyanolyca turcosa) belongs to the class of Aves.

How many turquoise jays are there in the world?

The exact population status of these bird species of the world is unknown. However, the bird distribution of these species is stable over its range. These bird species are common in Ecuador and Peru and quite unusual in Colombia.

Where does a turquoise jay live?

A turquoise jay (Cyanolyca turcosa) lives in the humid region of elfin forest with primary and secondary growth and montane evergreen forest. They are spread across the western Andes mountains from southern Colombia to northern Peru at different elevations that range between 2000 to 3000 ft (609.6-914.4  m) based on county. These species in Colombia are generally found at 2600 to 3000 ft (792.5-914.4 m), and that of Ecuador is nearly 2000 ft (609.6 m).

What is a turquoise jay's habitat?

The turquoise jay (Cyanolyca turcosa) is native to the states of South America with bird distribution uniform in Peru and Ecuador while it is slightly less in Colombia. Their preferred habitat is a humid region with thick, tangled trees and shrubs and primary, secondary growth of forests and inhabits montane evergreen forest with tall trees and elfin forest with short, thick vegetation. It is sympatric with the black-collared jay inhibiting the same northwestern region of South America.

Who do turquoise jays live with?

Turquoise jay (Cyanolyca turcosa) is a social bird primarily seen in groups of two to six noisy birds of the same species hopping on tree canopies or sub canopies. However, they sometimes can form mixed flocks with birds of another family, such as hooded mountain tanagers and mountain caciques.

How long does a turquoise jay live?

A turquoise jay's (Cyanolyca turcosa) lifespan is unknown.

How do they reproduce?

There is very little information about its courtship. But they may perform up-fluffing of plumage like other Neotropical jay species. However, they may courtship only once in their lifetime, and it is evident that these birds are monogamous and are known to form strong bond pairs that last forever. They build their large nests using moss and place them in forks of branches on the top of trees in an isolated place.

Breeding season is related to the monsoon. The female lays a clutch of eggs, but the clutch size is unknown. In some observations, clutch size was two. The male cares and feeds the female while she incubates the eggs, and the incubation period is not recorded. But it can be nearly 15 days for the egg to incubate and equal fledging time. The young birds are fed with insects. Multiple birds participate in caring for the young and also while building nests.

These species are victims of brood parasitism by giant cowbirds.

What is their conservation status?

The population status of these species is stable over its range. According to IUCN, the conservation status of these birds is of Least Concern and is not endangered.

What do turquoise jays look like?

There is no sexual dimorphism in this species, and both sexes look similar. Adult jays are a vibrant turquoise color that may appear different based on the lighting. Their wing and tail underparts are black. They have a black face mask that extends to a thin black collar around the throat. They have a light or nearly white face crown, brown iris, black bill, legs, and feet. The young birds are duller than adults and have no black collar.

How cute are they?

They are attractive with sparkling, vibrant turquoise plumage and look fascinating with their black face mask and thin black collar wrapping their throat.

How do they communicate?

Turquoise jay (Cyanolyca turcosa) is very vocal and uses calls to communicate. For example, while flying in flocks, they make contact calls. The basic sound of these birds is a loud descending whistle, given in repetitive series of three to four times. The tone of the whistle is short and hissy. They make a loud 'tsrrrp' sound and an eruptive 'kworr' sound in repetition.

They produce other sounds such as hissing, squeaking, and popping.

How big is a Turquoise Jay?

A turquoise jay is nearly 12.5 in (32 cm) long and is nearly two times smaller than a black-throated magpie jay.

How fast can a turquoise jay fly?

The exact speed of these species is not measured, but their flight is rapid and robust. They usually are noisy while flying and fly together in flocks.

How much does a turquoise jay weigh?

There is no record of turquoise jay's weight. The weight of various birds of the order Passeriformes, to which turquoise jays belong, ranges from a few grams to nearly 35.3 oz (1 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

These birds have no specific names for the male and female species.

What would you call a baby turquoise jay?

A baby turquoise jay is called a chick or hatchling in general.

What do they eat?

Little information is known about feeding habits. The confirmed diet includes insects like beetles, berries and eggs, and chicks of other species. They hop on the branches while foraging for food.

Are they dangerous?

We cannot say that they are dangerous but are destructive as they spoil our crops. In addition, they are dangerous to other bird species as they include eggs and young of other birds as part of their diet. They are also very aggressive during the breeding season.

Would they make a good pet?

There is no instance of keeping these species as a pet. They are wild birds and never make a good pet. They can survive well in wild than in captivity, by foraging in groups for fruits and insects.

Did you know...

The jaybirds live through the world except for Antarctica, and the preferable habitats are tropical forests.

Scrub jays and blue jays are birds of North America belonging to the Corvidae bird family.

Scrub jays belong to the genus Aphelocoma, and blue jays belong to the genus Cyanocitta.

Unlike blue jays, the scrub jay is gray on its back and has no blue crest.

Scrub jays are New World jays found in the western United States, western Central America, Mexico, and some faraway populations in Florida.

Scrub jays have seven subspecies while blue jay has four subspecies, and of the four, the Florida blue jay, the smallest of all, lives in southern Florida.

How did the turquoise jay get its name?

They got the common name because of its lively turquoise color all over its body except for the black mask. You may be wondering about the word jay in the common name of the bird. According to old American slang, the word jay means a person who chatters inappropriately. So, to summarize, the turquoise jay is pleasant to look at and noisy to hear.

What is the difference between a turquoise jay and a blue jay?

Turquoise jay lives in South America in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru, while Blue jays are birds of North America endemic in Eastern and Central United States.

Turquoise jay is non-migratory, while an eastern range of blue jay is migratory.

Turquoise jay has turquoise color all over with black collar while Blue jay has blue on crest, body, and head, with white underparts, black collar, and black, white, and blue bars on its tail.

The preferred habitat of turquoise jay is a humid region of montane evergreen and elfin forest, while the blue jay's habitats are coniferous and deciduous forests and open residential areas.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these fox sparrow facts and red-eyed vireo facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Turquoise jay coloring pages.