Mexican Jay

Scientific Name: Aphelocoma ultramarina

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in montane mixed oak forests in northern Mexico and up into Arizona and New Mexico.

Field Notes: Non-crested jay with blue head, wings and tail. Greyish back. Dingy white underparts.

Personal Notes: Patience was rewarded with this photo by Richard at the Cherry Lodge picnic site in the Apache-Sitgreaves NF in Arizona.

Chihauhaun Raven

Scientific Name: Corvus cryptoleucus

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in desert grasslands of southwestern US and northern Mexico.

Field Notes: Intermediate between Common Raven and American Crow. The size is approximately that of a crow, but the head is unmistakably raved-shaped as in the photo above. The call is the best differentiation, however.

Personal Notes: First heard, then seen, at Ramsey Canyon Preserve in Hereford, AZ. The photograph was taken later in town.

Carrion Crow

Scientific Name: Corvus Corone

Population Estimate: 21M to 71M

Range / Habitat: Occurs throughout Great Britain, south of the Great Glen in northern Scotland. There are two main carrion crow populations globally; one is distributed throughout most of Asia, the second occurs in western Europe.

Field Notes: It is the same size and shape as the hooded crow, but differs in that the plumage is entirely black, with a green and bluish-purplish gloss. The thick black bill has a curved tip.

Personal Notes: Some species consider this conspecific with Hooded Crow.

Hooded Crow

Scientific Name: Corvus Cornix

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: In Britain, this crow mainly occurs in north and western Scotland, it also occurs in Ireland and on the Isle of Man. Elsewhere it is widespread throughout central and northern Europe between the Arctic in the north to the Mediterranean in the south.

Field Notes: The Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) (sometimes called Hoodiecrow) is a Eurasian bird species in the crow genus. It is an ashy grey bird with black head, throat, wings, tail and thigh feathers, as well as a black bill, eyes and feet. Like other corvids it is an omnivorous and opportunistic forager and feeder.

Personal Notes: Some authors consider this bird conspecific with Carrion Crow.

Western Jackdaw

Scientific Name: Coloeus Monedula

Population Estimate: 21.1 - 90B

Range / Habitat: Widely distributed throughout Britain, but scarcer in upland areas. The jackdaw is also widespread throughout western Europe. Scandinavian populations migrate to England, Scotland and the Low Countries for the winter.

Field Notes: Medium-sized crow with grey nape and pale yellow eye. Hooded Crow with black eye, all black hood and more grey on back.

Personal Notes: Richard captured the top photo on the Cechy Most across the Vltava River in Prague.

Eurasian Magpie

Scientific Name: Pica Pica

Population Estimate: 22.5 - 57B (including Black-Billed Magpie in the US)

Range / Habitat: Resident in open areas, including artificial habitats, throughout most of Europe, Asia, and northwest Africa.

Field Notes: Large, conspicuous pied corvid with brilliant sheen to the back and long tail. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: 

Australian Raven

Scientific Name: Corvus coronoides

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found in woodland and open habitats throughout the eastern half of the country, along the southern coast, and into the southwestern corner.

Field Notes: Large, all black corvid with yellow eye and long hackles around neck. Distinguished from other all-black birds within its range (such as Little Raven) by high-pitched, wailing cry.

Personal Notes: Seen on North Head of Manly, near Sydney.

Little Raven

Scientific Name: Corvus mellori

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found in a wide range of environments, including urban, in southeast Australia.

Field Notes: Medium-sized corvid, all black with yellow eye. No shaggy throat, slightly smaller, and with more clipped call than Australian Raven.

Personal Notes: Quite good arial acrobats.

Steller's Jay

Scientific Name: Cyanocitta stelleri

Population Estimate: 4.4M

Range / Habitat: Year-round in montane evergreen forests of western North America, Canada and Mexico.

Field Notes: Noisy, inquisitive and conspicuous like most jays. Coloration is quite dark -- black head and neck with crest and bright blue body. No white markings.

Personal Notes: Richard had been trying to get a photo of this bird for some time. We were finally rewarded at Barr Camp on Pike's Peak. A fitting end to the summer in Wyoming (bottom photo). The top photo was from a group of more subdued jays in Apache-Sitgreaves Forests in Arizona and better demonstrates the plumage and crest. 

White-throated Magpie-Jay

Scientific Name: Calocitta formosa

Population Estimate: 50-500K

Range / Habitat: Subtropical / tropical lowland dry forest and shrub land in southern Mexico and Central America.

Field Notes: Large passerine with long tail and dramatic blue, black and white plumage. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: Seen en route from Monteverde to Cararas National Park, Costa Rica

Brown Jay

Scientific Name: Psilorhinus morio

Population Estimate: 2M

Range / Habitat: Resident on eastern slope of Mexico through the Yucatan and into Central America. Found primarily in subtropical and tropical lowland and montane moist forest but can also be seen on dry savanna.

Field Notes: Large, boisterous jay with dark brown head, bill, neck and back. Belly and undertail coverts white. Light morph shown above; there is also a dark morph with dusky belly and all brown tail. Like other jays in this region, juveniles have yellow bills and eye rings which disappear by the 2nd winter.

Personal Notes: Seen at Muyil ruins in the Yucatan and subsequently photographed at the Tikal ruins in Guatemala. Ubiquitous at Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Clark's Nutcracker

Scientific Name: Nucifraga columbiana

Population Estimate: 1M, Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in montane pine forests of the American West. Outside breeding season this species may wander down from its traditional altitude of 3000 - 13,000 feet (500 - 3000 meters).

Field Notes: Large grey bird with prominent black wings and tail. Its call belies its inclusion in the crow and jay family. The only similar bird in its range is the Grey Jay, whose appearance is spotty throughout the Clark's range, and who is much more demure in appearance with small bill, fuzzy black cap, and no starkly contrasting black or white on the wings or tail.

Personal Notes: We originally found this bird in the High Uintas of Utah (although the photo above was taken later in the Beartooth Mountains), outside Salt Lake City. It was the call, size, and flashes of black on grey that solidified our attention. We didn't see it crack any nuts. Later we were in Lost Creek Canyon on Deseret Ranch and came across perhaps as many as one hundred of these birds flocking together. It was an unusual sight as they are usually quite solitary birds. 

Black-billed Magpie

Scientific Name: Pica hudsonia

Population Estimate: 30M - 100M, including both Pica pica and Pica hudsonia

Range / Habitat: Year-round in a variety of habitats throughout the American West, northwest Canada and up into Alaska. 

Field Notes: Large songbird with long tail. Shiny black head, tail, and back. White belly and wing patches. Deep blue on the wings as well.

Personal Notes: Striking, if common, bird of the American West. Some sources consider this bird the same species as Pica pica, which is found throughout Europe, much of Asia, and northwest Africa

Western Scrub-jay

Scientific Name: Aphelocoma californica

Population Estimate: 3.4M, Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Found year-round in open habitats of the American West and Mexico. Typically, though not always, in lower and drier habitats than Steller’s Jay and Mexican Jay.

Field Notes: Non-crested jay with black, blue and grey on back. Light breast broken up by a blue necklace. Mexican Jay lacks blue necklace. 

Personal Notes: It took a trip to Arizona and many sightings of Steller's and Mexican Jay to finally sort out this entry!

American Crow

Scientific Name: Corvus brachyrhynchos

Population Estimate: 31M, Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in fields, open woodlands, and forests -- as well as areas inhabited by people -- throughout the US. In summer they extend up into Canada. 

Field Notes: Large, all-black birds with harsh, cawing voices. Nearly identical to Northwestern Crow and Fish Crow. Common Ravens are larger with longer wings, heavier bills, and shaggy neck feathers. 

Personal Notes:

Common Raven

Scientific Name: Corvus corax

Population Estimate: 16M, Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Extreme habitat generalist, found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Field Notes: Large, all-black passerine with shaggy throat feathers. In flight, ravens have long, wedge-shaped tails.

Personal Notes: It's easy to see why this is such a bird of lore.

Sinaloa Crow

Scientific Name: Corvus Sinaloae

Population Estimate: 50K to 500K

Range / Habitat: It occurs on the Pacific slope from southern Sonora south to Manzanillo. The crow inhabits coastal regions where it forages on the seashore, semi-desert, open woodlands, river banks and hills up to 300 metres or more. It is very common around coastal towns and villages.

Field Notes: The Sinaloa Crow (Corvus sinaloae) is a crow native to western Mexico. It has the same purple-glossed, silky, black plumage with a black bill, legs, and feet. The two species differ markedly in voice.

Personal Notes:

Black-throated Magpie-jay

Scientific Name: Calocitta colliei

Population Estimate: 50K to 500K

Location of Sighting: San Blas, Mexico

Date of Sighting: January, 2010

Notes: Endemic to NW Mexico. Unmistakable. These birds look amazing in flight, as well, with their long tail waving behind them.

San Blas Jay

Scientific Name: Cyanocorax sanblasianus

Population Estimate: 50K to 500K

Location of Sighting: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Date of Sighting: January, 2010

Notes: Endemic to western Mexico. Similar in appearance to other black and blue jays in Mexico (see Yucatan Jay), though distributions are essentially allopatric. Juveniles of this species have yellow beak.

Blue Jay

Scientific Name: Cyanocitta cristata

Population Estimate: 22M, Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in the eastern US and up into Canada in forest edges. They favor acorns and are frequently found near oaks.

Field Notes: Part of the crow family, this is a dramatic and conspicuous bird that is smaller than a crow but larger than a robin. Dramatic crest. The blue coloration is both unmistakable and even electric. Characteristic, high-pitched and far-traveling "jay" sound.

Personal Notes: One of our favorites, especially in winter.