Cyanolyca is a genus of small jays found in humid highland forests in southern Mexico, Central America and the Andes in South America. All are largely blue and have a black mask. They also possess black bills and legs and are skulking birds. They frequently join mixed-species flocks of birds.

Taxonomy

The genus Cyanolyca was introduced in 1851 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek κυανος/ kuanos meaning "dark-blue" with λυκος/lukos, a type of crow, perhaps the jackdaw, that was mentioned by Aristotle and Hesychius of Alexandria. Cabanis did not specify a type species but in 1855 George Gray designated the type as Cyanocorax armillatus Gray, 1845, the black-collared jay.

Species

The genus contains nine species.

References

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