The Story
I photographed this Black-chested Jay (Cyanocorax affinis) at Urapanes del Bosque in Cajamarca, Tolima, Colombia, at about 2,030 meters, in October 2020, with its black head, dark violet-blue upperparts, white belly and bright yellow eye. It is about 34 centimeters long, and males and females look alike. Its face has violet-blue spots above and below the eye and a violet-blue stripe at the base of the bill. It is found in Colombia, northwestern Venezuela, Panama and far eastern Costa Rica, and its population is stable. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/7.1, ISO 1600. Cajamarca, whose name means ‘cold land’ in Quechua, is known as Colombia’s agricultural larder.
©2024 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