Black-throated Magpie-Jay

The Black-throated Magpie-Jay is restricted to the Pacific slope of Mexico, where it inhabits dry and semi-humid forest and woodland. It closely resembles its relative the White-throated Magpie-Jay in overall shape, sharing the same forward-curling crest and extremely long, graduated tail, but is distinguished by a bold black band across the throat and upper breast.

Its tail is often cited as among the longest relative to body size of any songbird, making it one of the most visually striking jays in the Americas.

• Crest feathers curl forward over the crown, matching the structure seen in the White-throated Magpie-Jay, a distinctive trait among jays
• Throat and upper breast feathers are black, forming a bold band that is the key difference from the white-throated relative's clean white throat
• Head and upperpart feathers are blue, with white on the belly below the black breast band
• Tail feathers are extremely long and graduated, blue with white markings, often even longer proportionally than in the White-throated Magpie-Jay

Sexes look similar in plumage. Juveniles show a shorter crest and less developed tail length, along with duller blue feathering and a less defined black throat band that sharpens with maturity. One complete molt occurs annually after breeding, with the very long tail feathers replaced gradually.

• Restricted to the Pacific slope of Mexico, from Sonora and Sinaloa south into Jalisco and surrounding areas
• Favors dry and semi-humid forest, thorn scrub, and adjacent woodland
• Non-migratory, with resident groups occupying stable territories

Black-throated Magpie-Jays are social, traveling in small groups and showing cooperative behaviors similar to other magpie-jays, with related individuals assisting in raising young. They forage for insects, small animals, fruit, and occasionally eggs or nestlings, both on the ground and in trees. Calls are loud and varied, and the exceptionally long tail is often flicked or raised during social displays and interactions within the group.