Black-chested Jay

Black-chested Jay

Cyanocorax affinis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Medellín

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

61 Verified sightings at Medellín
2,168 In all 12 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-chested Jay

The black-chested jay (Cyanocorax affinis) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. Measuring 34 cm (13 in) long, this jay is easily recognized from its distinctive facial pattern and yellow eye. The head, face, and chest are mostly black with violet-blue spots above and below the eye, as well as a violet-blue malar stripe. The underparts are white as is the tip of the tail, while the upperparts and wings are mainly dark violet-blue. It does not exhibit sexual dimorphism.

It is found in Colombia, northwestern Venezuela, Panama and far eastern Costa Rica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

Its population is stable. BirdLife species factsheet for Cyanocorax affinis "Cyanocorax affinis". Avibase. "Black-chested jay media". Internet Bird Collection. Black-chested jay photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)

Interactive range map of Cyanocorax affinis at IUCN Red List Audio recordings of Black-chested jay on Xeno-canto. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Uncertain0:20

Colombia · 2022

© Fabian Cote Navarro · XC785607 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:56

Colombia · 2022

© Rolf A. de By · XC725926 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:20

Costa Rica · 2022

© Johan Chaves · XC712544 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
2 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
3 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
4 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
7 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
8 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
9 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
10 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
11 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
12 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Aviario Nacional de Colombia 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity
2 Monkeyland 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
3 Birds of Eden 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
4 zoologico de barranquilla 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity
5 Dallas World Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Cali Zoo 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-chested Jay in Medellín?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-chested Jay sighting in Medellín on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 244 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-chested Jay in Medellín?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-chested Jay in Medellín on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Black-chested Jay?

Between 6 and 9 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-chested Jay sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Black-chested Jay?

Only Medellín, in our data

Medellín is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black-chested Jay sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Black-chested Jay sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-chested Jay is recorded against all the birds logged in Medellín (61 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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