The Story
I photographed this Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) at Urapanes del Bosque in Cajamarca, Tolima, Colombia, at about 2,020 meters, in October 2020, showing its blue crest, yellow breast and green and black plumage. The eBird taxonomy treats the Andean birds and the Green Jay of North America as one species, though some authorities split the Andean form as the Inca Jay. In Spanish it is widely called querrequerre, after its call. Its diet includes arthropods, small vertebrates, seeds and fruit. 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 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. Cajamarca, whose name means ‘cold land’ in Quechua, is known as Colombia’s agricultural larder.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) 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 2025), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List