The Story
I photographed this Black-chested Jay (Cyanocorax affinis) in the Vista Nieve area above Minca, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, at about 1,535 meters. At 34 centimeters, it is easy to recognize by its yellow eye and the violet-blue spots above and below it on a black face. Its head and chest are black, its underparts and tail tip white, and its back and wings dark violet-blue, and males and females look alike. It is found from far eastern Costa Rica and Panama to Colombia and northwestern Venezuela, and its population is stable. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/2000 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200, −2 EV. These mountains rise from the Caribbean coast to 5,700 meters, apart from the Andes, and they are the source of 36 rivers.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Black-chested Jay (Cyanocorax affinis) belongs to the family Corvidae (Crows, Jays, and Magpies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List