Crows and Jays

In no other group of perching birds has evolution produced such a degree of variation as in the 120 species of crows and jays that inhabit the world today. They range from the tiny Hume's Ground-jay of the steppe-highlands of Tibet to the huge Thick-billed Raven of the mountains of Ethiopia. Some are exceedingly beautiful in color, grace, and form; others are sinister in appearance. Some appear in tales of mythology and superstition; others are merely regarded as agricultural pests. The great majority, however, remain largely unknown, coming into contact with humans mainly when their specialized habitats are destroyed. Over 20 species are now regarded as internationally endangered and some may disappear before we have a chance to learn much about them. This guide details all species of corvid, combining Steve Madge's authoritative text with 30 superb color plates by Hilary Burn. The text treats each species in depth, summarizing identification techniques and concisely reviewing all aspects of corvid behavior, distribution, population, and taxonomy. The color plates depict all 120 species, with each plate accompanied by an informative caption page containing color world-distribution maps and summaries of the criteria required to identify the species. Some of these, including the Banggar Crow, Mesopotamian Crow, and Flores Crow have never before been illustrated. Crows and Jays is both a source of scientifically accurate information and a user-friendly identification guide. It seeks to provide everyone, from birdwatchers to biologists, with a greater understanding of the lives of these fascinating yet very complex birds.

Table of Contents:
Systematic list of the Corvini v Introduction ix Acknowledgements xi Conservation xiii Relationships and Origins xv Format of the book xvii Topography and Plumages xx Glossary xxii Colour Plates and Maps 1 Systematic list of genera, subgenera and species of the Corvini Genus Platylophus Crested Jay Platylophus galericulatus 65 Genus Platysmurus Black Magpie Platysmurus leucopterus 65 Genus Gymnorhinus Pinyon Jay Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus 66 Genus Cyanocitta Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata 67 Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri 69 Genus Aphelocoma Scrub Jay Aphelocoma coerulescens 70 Grey-breasted Jay Aphelocoma ultramarina 72 Unicoloured Jay Aphelocoma unicolor 73 Genus Cyanolyca Black-collared Jay Cyanolyca armillata 74 Turqouise Jay Cyanolyca turcosa 75 White-collared Jay Cyanolyca viridicyana 75 Azure-hooded Jay Cyanolyca cucullata 76 Beautiful Jay Cyanolyca pulchra 76 Black-throated Jay Cyanolyca pumilo 77 Dwarf Jay Cyanolyca nana 77 White-throated Jay Cyanolyca mirabilis 78 Silvery-throated Jay Cyanolyca argentigula 78 Genus Cyanocorax Sub-genus Cissilopha Bushy-crested Jay Cyanocorax melanocyaneus 79 San Blas Jay Cyanocorax sanblasianus 80 Yucatan Jay Cyanocorax yucatanicus 81 Purplish-backed Jay Cyanocorax beecheii 82 Sub-genus Uroleuca Curl-crested Jay Cyanocorax cristatellus 84 Genus Cyanocorax Genus Sub-genus Cyanocorax Purplish Jay Cyanocorax cyanomelas 84 Azure Jay Cyanocorax caeruleus 85 Violaceous Jay Cyanocorax violaceus 85 Azure-naped Jay Cyanocorax heilprini 86 Cayenne Jay Cyanocorax cayanus 87 Black-chested Jay Cyanocorax affinis 87 Tufted Jay Cyanocorax dickeyi 88 Plush-crested Jay Cyanocorax chrysops 89 White-naped Jay Cyanocorax cyanopogon 89. White-tailed Jay Cyanocorax mystacalis 90 Green Jay Cyanocorax yncas 91 Genus Calocitta Black-throated Magpie-Jay Calocitta colhei 92 White-throated Magpie-Jay Calocitta formosa 93 Genus Psilorhinus Clark Brown Jay Psilorhinus morio 94 Genus Garrulus Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius 95 Lanceolated Jay Garrulus lanceolatus 97 Lidth's Jay Garrulus lidthi 98 Gnus Perisoreus Sichuan Jay Perisoreus intemigrans 99 Siberian Jay Perisoreus infaustus 100 Grey Jay Perisoreus canadensis 101 Genus Urocissa Ceylon Magpie Urocissa ornata 103 Taiwan Magpie Urocissa caerulea 103 Gold-billed Magpie Urocissa flavirostris 104 Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhyncha 105 White-winged Magpie Urocissa whiteheadi 106 Genus Cissa Green Magpie Cissa chinensis 108 Yellow-breasted Magpie Cissa (t). hypoleuca 109 Short-tailed Magpie Cissa thalassina 110 Genus Cyanopica Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyana 111 Genus Dendrocitta Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda 112 Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae 113 Sumatran Treepie Dendrocitta occipitalis 114 Bornean Treepie Dendrocitta (o). cinerascens l 15 White-bellied Treepie Dendrocitta leucogastra l 16 Andaman Treepie Dendrocitta bayleyi 116 Collared Treepie Dendrocitta frontalis 117 Genus Crypsirina Racquet-tailed Treepie Crypsirina temia 118 Hooded Treepie Crypsirina cucullata 118 Genus Temnurus Ratchet-tailed Treepie Temnurus temnurus 119 Genus Pica Black-billed Magpie Pica pica 120 Yellow-billed Magpie Pica nuttalli 122 Genus Zavattariomis Stresemann's Bush-Crow Zavattariomis stresemanni 123 Genus Podoces Henderson's Ground Jay Podoces hendersoni 124 Biddulph's Ground Jay Podoces biddulphi 125 Pander's Ground-Jay Podoces panderi 125 Pleske's Ground Jay Podoces pleskei 126 Genus Pseudopodoces Hume's Ground-Jay Pseudopodoces humilis 127 Genus Nucifraga Spotted Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes 128 Larger Spotted Nutcracker Nucifraga (c). multipunctata 130 Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana 130 Genus Pyrrhocorax Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus 132 Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax 133 Genus Ptilostomus Piapiac Ptilostomus afer 135 Genus Corvus Sub-genus Coloeus Western Jackdaw Corvus monedula 136 Daurian Jackdaw Corvus dauuricus 138 Sub-genus Corvus House Crow Corvus splendens 139 New Caledonian Crow Corvus moneduloides 140 Slender-billed Crow Corvus enca 141 Violaceous Crow Corvus (e). violaceus 142 Piping Crow Corvus typicus 143 Banggai Crow Corvus unicolor 143 Flores Crow Corvus florensis 144 Mariana Crow Corvus kubaryi 144 Long-billed Crow Corvus validus 145 White-billed Crow Corvus woodfordi 145 Bougainville Crow Corvus meeki 146 Brown-headed Crow Corvus fuscicapillus 146 Grey Crow Corvus tristis 147 Black Crow Corvus capensis 148 Rook Corvus frugilegus 149 Northwestern Crow Corvus caurinus 151 American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos 152 Tamaulipas Crow Corvus imparatus 153 Sinaloa Crow Corvus sinaloae 154 Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus 154 Palm Crow Corvus palmarum 156 Jamaican Crow Corvus jamaicensis 157 Cuban Crow Corvus nasicus 157 White-necked Crow Corvus leucognaphalus 158 Carrion Crow Corvus corone 159 Hooded Crow Corvus (c). cornix 160 Mesopotamian Crow Corvus (c). capellanus 161 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos 162 Jungle Crow Corvus (m). levaillantii 164 Torresian Crow Corvus orru 165 Little Crow Corvus bennetti 168 Australian Raven Corvus coronoides 169 Little Raven Corvus mellori 171 Forest Raven Corvus tasmanicus 172 New England Raven Corvus (t). boreus 173 Collared Crow Corvus torquatus 174 Hawaiian Crow Corvus hawaiiensis 174 Chihuahuan Raven Corvus cryptoleucus 175 Pied Crow Corvus albus 176 Dwarf Raven Corvus (r). edithae 177 Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis 178 Northern Raven Corvus corax 179 Sub-genus Corvultur Fan-tailed Raven Corvus rhipidurus 181 White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis 182 Thick-billed Raven Corvus crassirostris 183 Bibliography 185 Index 189