About Cyanocorax melanocyaneus (Hartlaub, 1844)
The adult bushy-crested jay, Cyanocorax melanocyaneus, measures 28 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) in length. It has a long tail with graduated central feathers. The sexes share identical appearance: the head, neck, breast, and upper mantle are black, while the rest of the upper body is dark blue with a green or violet sheen. Its underparts are solid greenish-blue, the undersides of the wings are grey, and the underside of the tail is blackish. The head has an erectile, stubble-like crown of feathers. The beak is black and relatively small, the irises are yellow, and the legs are black.
This jay is native to Central America, occurring in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua at altitudes ranging from approximately 600 to 2,450 m (2,000 to 8,000 ft). It inhabits humid forests, particularly pine and oak forests, as well as forest verges, glades, and scrub areas. It adapts well to habitat degradation, and has become common in coffee plantations and around agricultural land.
This species is social and lives in small groups. Groups forage in the lower tree storey and undergrowth, often descending to the ground to search through leaf litter. Its diet includes invertebrates, seeds, nuts, and fruits. The nest is constructed in dense undergrowth from twigs, and lined with plant fibres. One female lays a clutch of three or four eggs in late April or early May. Another female shares incubation duties, and multiple group members assist with feeding the young. In one recorded nest, eleven different adult birds helped feed the brood, alongside some juveniles that had hatched earlier in the season.
