Jay
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Jays are a paraphyletic grouping of passerine birds within the family Corvidae. Although the term "jay" carries no taxonomic weight, most or all of the birds referred to as jays share a few similarities; they are small to medium-sized, usually have brightly coloured feathers and short tails, and are quite noisy. These superficial characteristics set them apart from most other corvids such as crows, ravens, jackdaws, rooks and magpies, which are mostly larger, or longer-tailed, and have darker plumage. Many so-called "jays" are genetically closer to these other corvids than other jays, however. The name 'jay' is onomatopoeic, based on the harsh call of the species originally so named, Garrulus glandarius.
Systematics and species
Jays are not a monophyletic group. Anatomical and molecular evidence indicates they can be divided into a New World and an Old World lineage (the latter including the ground jays and the piapiac), while the grey jays of the genus Perisoreus form a group of their own. The black magpies, formerly believed to be related to jays, are classified as treepies.
Old World ("brown") jays
| Image | Genus | Living species |
|---|---|---|
| Garrulus Brisson, 1760 - 'typical' jays | Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius Lanceolated jay, Garrulus lanceolatus Lidth's jay, Garrulus lidthi | |
| Podoces Fischer von Waldheim, 1821 - Ground jays | Mongolian ground jay, Podoces hendersoni Xinjiang ground jay, Podoces biddulphi Pleske's ground jay, Podoces pleskei Turkestan ground jay, Podoces panderi |
Grey jays
| Image | Genus | Living species |
|---|---|---|
| Perisoreus Bonaparte, 1831 - Grey jays | Siberian jay, Perisoreus infaustus Sichuan jay, Perisoreus internigrans Canada jay (formerly grey or gray jay), Perisoreus canadensis |
New World jays
| Image | Genus | Living species |
|---|---|---|
| Aphelocoma Cabanis, 1851 - Scrub-jays | Florida scrub jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens Island scrub jay, Aphelocoma insularis California scrub jay, Aphelocoma californica Woodhouse's scrub jay, Aphelocoma woodhouseii Transvolcanic jay, Aphelocoma ultramarina Mexican jay, Aphelocoma wollweberi Unicolored jay, Aphelocoma unicolor | |
| Gymnorhinus Wied-Neuwied, 1841 | Pinyon jay, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus | |
| Cyanocitta Strickland, 1845 | Steller's jay, Cyanocitta stelleri Blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata | |
| Cyanocorax F. Boie, 1826 | Tufted jay, Cyanocorax dickeyi Black-chested jay, Cyanocorax affinis Green jay, Cyanocorax luxuosus Inca jay, Cyanocorax yncas Brown jay, Cyanocorax morio Bushy-crested jay, Cyanocorax melanocyaneus San Blas jay, Cyanocorax sanblasianus Yucatan jay, Cyanocorax yucatanicus Purplish-backed jay, Cyanocorax beecheii Purplish jay, Cyanocorax cyanomelas Azure jay, Cyanocorax coeruleus Violaceous jay, Cyanocorax violaceus Curl-crested jay, Cyanocorax cristatellus Azure-naped jay, Cyanocorax heilprini Cayenne jay, Cyanocorax cayanus Plush-crested jay, Cyanocorax chrysops White-naped jay, Cyanocorax cyanopogon White-tailed jay, Cyanocorax mystacalis Black-throated magpie-jay, Cyanocorax colliei White-throated magpie-jay, Cyanocorax formosus | |
| Cyanolyca Cabanis, 1851 | Black-collared jay, Cyanolyca armillata Turquoise jay, Cyanolyca turcosa White-collared jay, Cyanolyca viridicyana Azure-hooded jay, Cyanolyca cucullata Beautiful jay, Cyanolyca pulchra Black-throated jay, Cyanolyca pumilo Dwarf jay, Cyanolyca nana Silvery-throated jay, Cyanolyca argentigula White-throated jay, Cyanolyca mirabilis |
In culture
Slang
The word jay has an archaic meaning in American slang meaning a person who chatters impertinently.
The term jaywalking was coined in the first decade of the 1900s to label persons crossing a busy street carelessly and becoming a traffic hazard. The term began to imply recklessness or impertinent behavior as the convention became established.
In January 2014, the Canadian author Robert Joseph Greene embarked on a lobbying campaign among ornithologists in Europe and North America to get Merriam-Websters Dictionary to have a "Jabber of Jays" as an official term under bird groups.
External links
- . The Internet Bird Collection + The Macaulay Library.
- Texts on Wikisource:"Jay". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. "Jays". Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. "Jay". The New Student's Reference Work. 1914. Newton, Alfred (1911). "Jay". Encyclopædia Britannica (11thed.). "Jay". New International Encyclopedia. 1905. Newton, Alfred (1881). "Jay". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol.13 (9thed.).