Aphelocoma unicolor
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The unicolored jay (Aphelocoma unicolor) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and jays. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. The unicolored jay was originally described in 1847 as Cyanocorax unicolor. Its current genus Aphelocoma is from Latinized Ancient Greek apheles- (from ἀφελής-) "simple" + Latin coma (from Greek kome κόμη) "hair", in reference to the lack of striped or banded feathers in this genus, compared to other jays. It is apparently a basal member of the genus.
The unicolored jay has these five subspecies: Some of the subspecies were originally described as full species. The five exhibit much genetic variation and have long been isolated from each other. In 2020 the American Ornithological Society declined to reclassify them into four species.
The unicolored jay is about 34 cm (13 in) long. The nominate subspecies A. u. unicolor weighs about 125 to 150 g (4.4 to 5.3 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. The nominate subspecies... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Unicolored Jay sighting in El Triunfo on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 206th most-seen of the 221 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Unicolored Jay in El Triunfo on a given day, against under 5% in May and July–March, the lowest months. That is one of El Triunfo's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain against 420 mm in June. June has too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Unicolored 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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Unicolored Jay sightings, El Triunfo ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Celaque National Park (Honduras, about 10%).
Same family: Corvidae
The closest relatives of the Unicolored Jay that you can see in El Triunfo (family Corvidae, Crows, Jays, and Magpies) are Green Jay (about 50%), Black-throated Jay (about 10%) and White-Throated Magpie-Jay (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Unicolored Jay is recorded against all the birds logged in El Triunfo (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
