About Cyanolyca armillata (G.R.Gray, 1845)
The black-collared jay (scientific name Cyanolyca armillata (G.R.Gray, 1845)) measures 30 to 32 cm (12 to 13 in) in length and weighs approximately 100 g (3.5 oz). Males and females have identical plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies C. a. armillata have a violaceous-blue crown and nape. Their forehead, lores, and the sides of the head are black. Their throat and the center of the upper breast are ultramarine, marked with a thin black border that connects to the back of the black facial area. Most of the rest of their plumage is cyan-blue. The inner edges of their primaries are dark brown, and the undersides of their wings and tail are blackish. Subspecies C. a. meridana is slightly darker and has a more purplish blue color than the nominate subspecies. Subspecies C. a. quindiuna is larger than the nominate; its crown and nape are darker, matching the color of its back, and its body, wings, and tail carry a greenish tinge. Juveniles have duller coloration than adults, with a grayer throat and more grayish body feathers that only show blue at their tips. All subspecies have a dark brown iris, a black bill, and black legs and feet. The three subspecies of black-collared jay have separate distribution ranges. C. a. armillata is found in the Andes from southern Táchira in western Venezuela, extending south through Colombia's Eastern Andes to Cundinamarca Department. C. a. meridana lives in the Andes of western Venezuela, from northern Táchira north through Mérida into Trujillo. C. a. quindiuna occurs primarily in Colombia's Central Andes from Antioquia Department south slightly into northern Ecuador; it is also found in Colombia at the northern end of the Western Andes and the Eastern Andes as far north as Huila Department. The black-collared jay lives in the interior and edges of cloudforest, elfin forest, and mature secondary forest, particularly in areas with abundant bamboo and tree ferns. Its elevation range is between 1,600 and 3,200 m (5,200 and 10,500 ft) in Venezuela and Colombia, and between 2,100 and 3,150 m (6,900 and 10,300 ft) in Ecuador.
