Cyanocorax yucatanicus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Yucatan jay (Cyanocorax yucatanicus) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and their allies. It is native to the Yucatán Peninsula where its habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, plantations and cleared areas at altitudes up to 250 m (820 ft). Adults are about 30 cm (12 in) long, black, with blue wings, mantle, and tail, black bills, yellow eye rings and legs. Immature birds have yellow bills. This is a common species of jay with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Yucatan jay was first described by the naturalist Alphonse Dubois in 1875. It originally places in the genus Cyanocitta, and was given the scientific name Cyanocitta yucatanica. It is now placed by the genus Cyanocorax, which was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826, as Cyanocorax yucatanicus. In 1934, ornithologist Carl Eduard Hellmayr reorganized the genus Cyanocorax and split it into four subgenera. The Yucatan jay was placed into the subgenus Cissilopha as Cissilopha yucatanica. This is now considered a synonym for the Yucatan jay.
When Hellmayr created... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Papiliorama | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 3 | Sobela Ocean Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Yucatán Jay sighting in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 1,368 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 288 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December and January
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Yucatán Jay in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 30% in July and August, the lowest months. Those are among Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 230 mm in June.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yucatán 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.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Yucatán Jay sightings, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yucatán Jay is recorded against all the birds logged in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (1,368 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.
