Cyanocorax violaceus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The violaceous jay (Cyanocorax violaceus) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and jays. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and possibly Guyana. The violaceous jay was originally described in 1847 as Cyanocorax violaceus, its current binomial.
The violaceus jay is 33 to 37 cm (13 to 15 in) long and weighs about 260 g (9.2 oz). The sexes have similar plumage. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a blackish forecrown and a blackish or dark sepia crown and sides of the head and neck. Their nape is pale bluish white that becomes pale blue at the base of the nape. Their upper back is pale violaceous blue and the rest of their upperparts a darker violaceous blue. Their primaries are blackish with violaceous blue on their outer edges. Their tail is indigo-blue. Their throat and upper breast are the same blackish or dark sepia as the sides of the head, and the rest of their underparts are violaceous blue. The undersides of their wings and tail have a blackish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 5 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 6 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 7 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Violaceous Jay sighting in Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 1,666 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 533 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Violaceous Jay in Yasuní National Park on a given day, against about 40% in March, May–July, September and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Violaceous 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 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Violaceous Jay sightings, Yasuní National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Sierra de la Macarena National Park (Colombia, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Violaceous Jay that you can see in Yasuní National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Yellow-rumped Cacique (about 60%), Russet-backed Oropendola (about 60%) and Tropical Kingbird (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Violaceous Jay is recorded against all the birds logged in Yasuní National Park (1,666 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.
