The Story
I photographed this Violaceous Jay (Cyanocorax violaceus) at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia. In Brazil it lives up to about 1,000 meters. It feeds mainly on fruit, arthropods and eggs, and it has been seen eating lizards. Its range runs through western Brazil, the eastern half of Colombia, eastern Ecuador and eastern Peru into northern Bolivia. La Macarena is part of the Sierra de la Macarena and of the Macarena Special Management Area, which brings together several protected areas. The Sierra de la Macarena is home to about 420 bird species, along with eight species of primates.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/2500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800. IUCN lists the Violaceous Jay as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Violaceous Jay (Cyanocorax violaceus) 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 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List