Curl-crested Jay
Cyanocorax cristatellus
LCLeast Concern
- Family
- Crows, Jays, and Magpies (Corvidae)
- Order
- Passeriformes
Overview
The curl-crested jay (Cyanocorax cristatellus) is a species of jay native to South America.
This New World jay is a beautiful and large (35 cm/14 in overall) bird with predominantly dark blue back, an almost black head and neck, and snow-white chest and underparts. They have a pronounced curled crest rising from just behind the beak; the crest is on average larger in males, but the sexes are generally quite similar.
The voice is a loud, gray, graa, gray-gray-gray, sometimes repeated 8-10 times.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
South-central Brazil to eastern Bolivia and far northeastern Paraguay.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Curl-crested jay
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
