English              -               Purplish Jay

Portuguese      -                Gralha do Pantanal

Latin                  -                Cyanocorax Cyanomelas

I photographed the Purplish Jay when we were visiting Buraco das Araras near the town of Jardim (2,052 km from Vila Velha) in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. We were walking towards the car park on the way out when the Purplish Jay flew in and landed on a fence close to where we were walking. Felt a bit strange as it seemed to be observing us as though it was wondering what we were up to. Managed to get reasonable close to it without it flying away. Seemed to be quite used to humans being around. Unfortunately the day was hot but overcast so the purple colouring of the Purplish Jay is quite flat.

* The Purplish Jay comes from the same family as crows, ravens, magpies, etc.

* Medium size bird with a length of around 37 cm and weighs around 210 g.

* The call of the Purplish Jay is a Repeated harsh ”jar-jar-jar-jar sound.

* It is found from southeastern Peru, northern Bolivia south to Paraguay, southwestern Brazil and northern Argentina.

* The Purplish Jay occupies forest and woodlands, though it will also tolerate severely degraded and artificial habitats. 

* It mainly eat invertebrates and fruit, but has been known to scavenge on available carrion.

* There is little info on the breeding habits of the Purplish Jay  but the female lays 3 - 4 light blue with reddish-brown splotches eggs.

* Human activity seems to be beneficial to the Purplish Jay , which have been reported to feed on crops. Also, due to their tolerance for heavily degraded habitat, deforestation has actually expanded their range eastward into Brazil. They have a large range and are described as being “fairly common to common” with increasing numbers. Therefore the Purplish Jay is classified as a species ”of least concern”.