Nombre en español: Carriquí Pechinegro

Nombre en inglés: Azure-naped Jay

Nombre científico: Cyanocorax heilprini

Familia: Corvidae

La chara nuquiazul (Cyanocorax heilprini) es una especie de ave paseriforme de la familia Corvidae endémica del norte de América del Sur. Se encuentra en la región fronteriza entre Brasil, Colombia y Venezuela.

Este carriquí es una especie pobremente conocida que se encuentra en tierras bajas al oriente del país.  Cyanocorax significa cuervo azul y deriva de las raices griegas kuanos = azul oscuro y korax = cuervo.Su epíteto heilprini se cuañó en honor al profesor, paleontólogo y naturalista Angelo Heilprini. 

Su hábitat natural son los bosques húmedos de las tierras bajas tropicales y los matorrales tropicales.

Tamaño y Forma

Mide de 33 a 36 cm y ambos sexos son similares. Ambos sexos similares. Presentan un penacho nasal y las plumas de la frente erectas y cortas formando una cresta frontal. Tiene la frente, lados de la cabeza y coronilla de color negro. Los lados del cuello, la garganta y la parte alta del pecho son sepia, presenta una ralla estreche en la región malar de color azul, la nuca y la parte trasera del cuello azul cielo lavado de blanco y las partes superiores azul grisáseo teñido de de café violeta con las puntas de las plumas de la cola de color blanco. Por debajo en violeta desvanecido a blanquecino en las partes inferiores. Presenta iris amarillento y pico y patas negras. 

Especies Similares

Muy similar al Carriquí Violáceo (Cyanocorax violaceus) pero se distingue de este porque presenta sus ápices blancos en la cola y tiene menos negro en la coronilla.

Diferencias Regionales

Ninguna, es una especie monotípica.

Distribución

En Colombia llega hasta 250 m sobre el nivel del mar y se encuentra al oriente del pais al sur de Guainía, en el extremo suroriental de Vaupés y posiblemente en el suroriente de Vichada. También en el occidente de Venezuela y el noroccidente de Brasil.

Habitat

Se encuentra en selvas del cinturon arenoso, en sabana, bordes de bosque en crecimiento secundario y en zonas de vegetación arbustiva con árboles dispersos.

Reproducción

Se han registrado jóvenes en marzo y abril en Venezuela. Su nido es una estructura en forma de cuenco el cual construye a 2 o 3 m de altura con ramas y de apariencia descuidada.

Azure-naped jay

The azure-naped jay (Cyanocorax heilprini) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

Cyanocorax heilprini was named after Angelo Heilprin.

Azure-naped Jay is a striking corvid of north-central South America.  Preferring lowland forest borders with sandy soil below 250 meters in elevation, this species can be found in a limited area surrounding the junction of Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil.  Azure-naped Jay is dark purple-gray overall with a light blue nape and crown, thick black bridle, blue malar, yellow irides, and a white undertail and tail tip.  It is similar to the wide-ranging Violaceous Jay, but that species lacks a white tail tip.

Identification

Azure-naped Jay (Azure-naped)

33–36 cm. Nasal tuft and forehead feathering stiffy erect but short, forming frontal crest. Forehead, forecrown and side of head black, side of neck, throat and upper breast sepia, narrow cyan-blue malar stripe; hindcrown, nape and hindneck sky-blue, washed white, upperparts bluish mauve more or less suffused with brown-grey; upperwing greyish horn, somewhat tinged blue on outer margins of primaries; tail greyish horn, tinged blue, all feathers with narrow whitish tips (more conspicuous on underside); underparts below upper breast greyish horn, heavily tinged blue, particularly on breast, paler on lower belly, becoming pale cream on undertail-coverts, underwing brownish; iris yellowish-white to golden-yellow; bill and legs black. Sexes similar. Juvenile not yet described.

Azure-naped Jay (Campina)

c. 33 cm; 172 g (one male). Adult has black forecrown  , chin to upper breast  , lores and ear-coverts, with stiff erect feathers that form a tuft from base of nares to above eye; three blue facial marks each side of head  , a small sky-blue supraocular patch, which is darkest at its edges; a small bright blue subocular mark, and a short malar streak running from base of mandible, which is also bright blue; mid-crown, nape and upper mantle sky-blue with brighter blue feather bases; back  , wings and most of tail  dull brownish grey, faintly washed purplish blue, which is strongest on upperwing-coverts; tail tip has dull white band 15–22 mm wide, with nearly black subterminal margin; breast  azure-blue, but merging gradually into dull brownish-grey belly, then dirty white lower belly, and finally yellowish undertail-coverts; thighs faintly washed sky-blue; underwing-coverts dull brownish grey, faintly washed purplish blue; iris pinkish white, bill glossy black, and tarsi and toes dull black. Female believed to be darker blue on the wings and tail, but confirmation required. Juvenile apparently undescribed, but birds with dark eyes strongly suspected to be young.

Systematics History

Azure-naped Jay (Azure-naped)

Often considered conspecific with C. hafferi (which see). Monotypic.

Azure-naped Jay (Campina)

Recently described as a species closely related to C. heilprini, of which it has subsequently been considered a race. Differs from C. heilprini, however, in its pale azure vs dark purplish-blue breast; much paler uppertail (2); and two bare patches of blue skin above and below the eye. Monotypic.

Distribution

Azure-naped Jay (Azure-naped)

Extreme E Colombia (S Guainía and extreme E Vaupés, possibly also SE Vichada), extreme S Venezuela (W Amazonas) and extreme NW Brazil (upper R Negro).

Azure-naped Jay (Campina)

WC Amazonian Brazil S of Amazon, from W bank of R Purus to W bank of R Madeira.

Habitat

Azure-naped Jay (Azure-naped)

Forest borders, secondary growth and savanna woodland, on sandy soils; recorded at 100–250 m. In Brazil found in campinas (shrubby vegetation with sparse trees, most of them less than 5 m tall) and campinaranas (low-canopy forest, 7–20 m, with understorey dominated by small-diameter trees).

Azure-naped Jay (Campina)

Highly specific to the edge of Amazonian savannas (campinas) on waterlogged soils that flood shallowly during heavy rains, principally within 100 m of the open areas (usually < 20 m) and especially in islands of low-stature forest (known locally as capões de mata) 3–8 m tall, which form a transition between herbaceous campina and taller terra firme forest. Common tree species in the jay’s haunts include members of the genus Clusia (Clusiaceae), Pagamea (Rubiaceae) and the palms Mauritiella armata and Mauritia carana. Absent from burnt areas, but it has been suggested that the species will disperse freely through terra firme forest and perhaps even use it regularly in non-breeding periods.

Fuentes: Wikipedia/eBird/xeno-canto/WikiAves/Birds of the world