Home: Animals: Black-throated magpie jay

Bio Facts
Common Name: Black-throated magpie jay Black Throated Magpie Jay
Scientific Name: Calocitta colliei
Family: Corvidae
Order: Passeriformes
Class: Aves
Range: Northwestern Mexico
Habitat: Deciduous open woodlands and arid scrub forests.  Rarely venture above 4,000 feet.
Description: 225-250g.  A large, conspicuous bluish colored jay with an extremely long tail, a long, pointed, black crest, and white under parts.
Life Expectancy:
Sexual Maturity:
Diet: In the wild this jay is omnivorous, consuming berries, fruits, invertebrates and sometimes small rodents.  In captivity, diet consists of commercially prepared meat, fruit, eggs and mealworms.
Status: Considered common within their restricted range.
Behaviors:

Social nesters.  Nesting season extends from November to July.  The nest consists of twigs lined with mosses, lichens, and roots.  The nest is often located in a thorny tree 100 feet above ground.  3-4 eggs are laid.  Incubation is performed by the female.  She is fed at the nest by the male and other jays.
Adaptations:
Special Interest: Often seen perching on top of shrubs and bushes as well inside the crowns of trees.  They are often seen in the company of other birds when feeding.
Folklore:
Conservation: There is no precise information on the number of black-throated magpie jays in the wild.  Because they are considered common within their range, no additional conservation measures are needed.
Jacksonville Zoo History: There is no record of this species being previously exhibited at the Jacksonville Zoological Gardens.