THE JAY

Jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family, Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian magpie seems more closely related to the Eurasian jay than to the East Asian blue and green magpies, whereas the blue jay is not closely related to either.

 

  Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)

Systematics and species

Jays are not a monophyletic group. Anatomical and molecular evidence indicates they can be divided into an American and an Old World lineage (the latter including the ground jays and the piapiac), while the gray jays of the genus Perisoreus form a group of their own.^[1] The black magpie, formerly believed to be related to jays, is classified as a treepie. The crested jay (Platylophus galericulatus) is traditionally placed here, but its placement remains unresolved; it does not seem to be a corvid at all.^[1]

Old World ("brown") jays

Image	Genus	Living Species
	Garrulus Brisson, 1760	Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius Lanceolated jay, Garrulus lanceolatus Lidth's jay, Garrulus lidthi
	Podoces Fischer von Waldheim, 1821 - Ground jay	Henderson's ground jay, Podoces hendersoni Biddulph's ground jay, Podoces biddulphi Pleske's ground jay, Podoces pleskei Grey ground jay, Podoces panderi
	Ptilostomus Swainson, 1837	Piapiac, Ptilostomus afer

Grey jays

Image	Genus	Living Species
	Perisoreus Bonaparte, 1831 - Grey jays	Siberian jay, Perisoreus infaustus Sichuan jay, Perisoreus internigrans Canada jay, gray jay, grey jay, or whiskeyjack Perisoreus canadensis

American jays

Image	Genus	Living Species
	Aphelocoma Cabanis, 1851 - Scrub Jay	Florida scrub jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens Island scrub jay, Aphelocoma insularis California scrub jay, Aphelocoma californica Woodhouse's scrub jay, Aphelocoma woodhouseii Transvolcanic jay, Aphelocoma ultramarina Mexican jay, Aphelocoma wollweberi Unicolored jay, Aphelocoma Unicolor
	Gymnorhinus Wied-Neuwied, 1841	Pinyon jay, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
	Cyanocitta Strickland, 1845	Steller's jay, Cyanocitta stelleri Blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata
	Calocitta G.R. Gray, 1841 - Magpie-jay	Black-throated magpie-jay, Calocitta colliei White-throated magpie-jay, Calocitta formosa
	Cyanocorax F. Boie, 1826	Tufted jay, Cyanocorax dickeyi Black-chested jay, Cyanocorax affinis Green jay, Cyanocorax ynca Brown jay, Cyanocorax morio Bushy-crested jay, Cyanocorax melanocyaneus San Blas jay, Cyanocorax sanblasianus Yucatan jay, Cyanocorax yucatanicus Purplish-backed jay, Cyanocorax beecheii Purplish jay, Cyanocorax cyanomelas Azure jay, Cyanocorax caeruleus Violaceous jay, Cyanocorax violaceus Curl-crested jay, Cyanocorax cristatellus Azure-naped jay, Cyanocorax heilprini Cayenne jay, Cyanocorax cayanus Plush-crested jay, Cyanocorax chrysops White-naped jay, Cyanocorax cyanopogon White-tailed jay, Cyanocorax mystacalis
	Cyanolyca Cabanis, 1851	Black-collared jay, Cyanolyca armillata Turquoise jay, Cyanolyca turcosa White-collared jay, Cyanolyca viridicyana Azure-hooded jay, Cyanolyca cucullata Beautiful jay, Cyanolyca pulchra Black-throated jay, Cyanolyca pumilo Dwarf jay, Cyanolyca nana Silvery-throated jay, Cyanolyca argentigula White-throated jay, Cyanolyca mirabilis

In culture

Slang

The word jay has an archaic meaning in American slang meaning a person who chatters impertinently.^[2][3]
The term jaywalking was coined in 1915 to label persons crossing a busy street carelessly and becoming a traffic hazard.^[4] The term began to imply recklessness or impertinent behavior as the convention became established.^[5]
In January 2014, Canadian author Robert Joseph Greene embarked on a lobbying campaign among ornithologists in Europe and North America to get Merriam-Websters Dictionary to have a "Jabber of Jays" as an official term under bird groups.^[6][7]