Repertorio vocal en Urraca Criolla (Cyanocorax chrysops): vocalizaciones e imitaciones

Juan I. Escobar; G. Giselle Mangini

doi:10.56178/eh.v41i2.1553

Articles Published 07 November 2026 https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v41i2.1553

Vocal repertoire of Plush-crested Jay (Cyanocorax chrysops): vocalizations and mimicry

acoustic activity patterns behavioral ecology bioacoustics Corvidae Tucumán

Juan I. Escobar Instituto de Ecología Regional (UNT-CONICET). Edificio las Cúpulas, Residencia Universitaria de Horco Molle, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina

G. Giselle Mangini Instituto de Ecología Regional (UNT-CONICET). Edificio las Cúpulas, Residencia Universitaria de Horco Molle, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina

Abstract

Vocal communication plays a fundamental role in birds, particularly in gregarious species such as jays. However, the diversity and function of their vocalizations remain poorly known in many Neotropical jay species. In this study, we describe and characterize part of the vocal repertoire of the Plush-crested Jay (Cyanocorax chrysops), a social species distributed in the tropical and subtropical forests of South America. To do so, we combined focal recordings of four groups in the Yungas ecoregion with acoustic records from repositories and continuous recordings made with a passive recorder. From the focal recordings, we identified seven vocalization types, distinguishable by their spectro-temporal structure and their auditory similarity. Multivariate acoustic analysis showed that the vocalizations occupy differentiated acoustic regions, although some are similar to each other. Some vocalizations could be associated with specific behavioral contexts, particularly alarms and group movements. In addition, the analysis of recordings from repositories revealed two vocalizations that suggest possible imitations of raptors of the genera Micrastur and Astur. The analysis of 117 hours of passive recordings allowed us to explore a possible variation in the relative frequency of use of the different vocalizations, in which certain vocalizations would apparently dominate the repertoire and vary in their emission throughout the day. Overall, these results show that C. chrysops has a structured and diverse vocal repertoire, consistent with what has been observed in other social corvids, and they provide new information on the use of acoustic signals in species of this group.

PDF (Spanish) PDF

References

Alonso HG (2001) Conductas de gregarismo y vocalización de la cotorra cubana (Amazona leucocephala). Ornitología Neotropical 12(2):141-152
Auer SK, Bassar RD, Fontaine JJ, Martin TE (2007) Breeding biology of passerines in a subtropical montane forest in northwestern Argentina. Condor 109(2):321-333. https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/109.2.321
AviList (2025) AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025. https://doi.org/10.2173/avilist.v2025
Baldo S, Mennill DJ (2011) Vocal behavior of Great Curassows, a vulnerable Neotropical bird. Journal of Field Ornithology 82(3):249-258. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1557-9263.2011.00328.x
Barbosa da Silva L (2020) Vocal mimicry of raptor by the White-naped Jay (Cyanocorax cyanopogon) during a dispute over food resources. Atualidades Ornitológicas 217. Pp. 24
Bierregaard RO, Kirwan GM, Boesman PFD (2020) Collared Forest-Falcon (Micrastur semitorquatus), version 1.0. En: del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J, Christie DA, de Juana E (eds) Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.coffal1.01
Bonaccorso E, Peterson AT, Navarro-Sigüenza AG, Fleischer RC (2010) Molecular systematics and evolution of the Cyanocorax jays. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54(3):897-909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.11.014
Brown AD, Grau A, Lomáscolo T, Gasparri NI (2002) Una estrategia de conservación para las selvas subtropicales de montaña (Yungas) de Argentina. Ecotropicos 15(2):147-159
Brunetta B (2009) Ecologia e grito da gralha-picaça (Cyanocorax chrysops) (Vieillot, 1818) (Passeriformes: Corvidae) em duas formações florestais da Mata Atlântica, Brasil. Master Thesis. Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Brasil
Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2026) Merlin Bird ID (Version 4.1.0) Cornell Lab of Ornithology. [URL: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/]
Dos Anjos L, Vielliard JM (1993) Repertoire of the acoustic communication of the azure jay Cyanocorax caeruleus (Vieillot) (Aves, Corvidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoología 10(4):657-664. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81751993000400011
Elie JE, Soula HA, Mathevon N, Vignal C (2011) Dynamics of communal vocalizations in a social songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 129(6):4037-4046. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3570959
Ellis JMS (2008) Which call parameters signal threat to conspecifics in white-throated magpie-jay mobbing calls? Ethology 114(2):154-163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01439.x
Ellis JMS (2009) Anti-Predator Signals as Advertisements: Evidence in White-Throated Magpie-Jays. Ethology 115(6):522-532. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01631.x
Emery NJ, Seed AM, von Bayern AM, Clayton NS (2007a) Cognitive adaptations of social bonding in birds. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 362(1480):489-505. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.1991
Emery NJ, Clayton NS, Frith CD (2007b) Introduction. Social intelligence: from brain to culture. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 362(1480):485-488. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.2022
Enríquez PL (2015) Los búhos neotropicales: diversidad y conservación. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Mexico
Espinosa de los Monteros A, Cracraft J (1997) Intergeneric relationships of the New World Jays inferred from Cytochrome b Gene Sequences. Condor 99(2):490-502. https://doi.org/10.2307/1369955
García NC, Barreira AS, Kopuchian C, Tubaro PL (2014) Intraspecific and interspecific vocal variation in three Neotropical cardinalids (Passeriformes: Fringillidae) and its relationship with body mass. Emu 114(2):129-136. https://doi.org/10.1071/MU13010
Giese JC, Hall JD (2024) Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas), version 2.0. In: Billerman SM (eds) Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grnjay.02
Goller M, Shizuka D (2018) Evolutionary origins of vocal mimicry in songbirds. Evolution Letters 2(4):417-426. https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.62
Grau HR, Arturi MF, Brown AD, Aceñolaza PG (1997) Floristic and structural patterns along a chronosequence of secondary forest succession in Argentinean subtropical montane forests. Forest Ecology and Management 95(2):161-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00010-8
Hardy JW (1979) Vocal repertoire and its possible evolution in the black and blue jays (Cissilopha). The Wilson Bulletin 91(2):187-201
Harvey TC, Gabriel PO, Black JM (2024) Propensity of Predator Mimicry in Steller’s Jays. Birds 5(1):173-189. https://doi.org/10.3390/birds5010012
Hunzinger H (1997) Hydrology of montane forests in the Sierra de San Javier, Tucumán, Argentina. Mountain Research and Development 17(4):299-308. https://doi.org/10.2307/3674020
K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2026) Raven Pro: Interactive Sound Analysis Software (Version 1.6.5). The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. [URL: https://www.ravensoundsoftware.com/]
Kahl S, Wood CM, Eibl M, Klinck H (2021) BirdNET: A deep learning solution for avian diversity monitoring. Ecological Informatics 61:101236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101236
Kazue Uejima AM, Boesing AL, Dos Anjos L (2012) Breeding and foraging variation of the Plush-crested Jay (Cyanocorax chrysops) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124(1):87-95. https://doi.org/10.1676/11-027.1
Kovářová E, Linhart P, Syrová M, Robovský J, Urbanová N, Veselý P (2025) Acoustic variation in alarm calls of Corvidae: effect of morphology, ecology and phylogeny. Animal Cognition 28:83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-025-02000-w
Kroodsma DE, Byers BE (1991) The Function(s) of Bird Song. American Zoologist 31(2):318-328. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/31.2.318
Lambert ML, Jacobs I, Osvath M, von Bayern AM (2019) Birds of a feather? Parrot and corvid cognition compared. Behaviour 156(5-8):505-594. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-00003527
Lavariega MC, Monroy-Gamboa AG, Padilla-Gómez E, Olivera-Martínez U (2019) Patrones de actividad de la chachalaca pálida (Ortalis poliocephala). Huitzil 20(2):e-536. https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2019.20.2.455
Leighton GM, Birmingham T (2021) Multiple factors affect the evolution of repertoire size across birds. Behavioral Ecology 32(3):380-385. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araa139
Martos-Martins R, Donatelli RJ (2018) Vocal mimicry of Collared Forest-Falcon, Micrastur semitorquatus (Falconiformes: Falconidae), by Plush-crested Jay, Cyanocorax chrysops (Passeriformes: Corvidae), in the municipality of Pirajuí, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Atualidades Ornitológicas 206:21
Medina I, Francis CD (2012) Environmental variability and acoustic signals: a multi-level approach in songbirds. Biology Letters 8(6):928-931. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0522
Oksanen J, Simpson G, Blanchet F, ..., Weedon J (2025) vegan: Community Ecology Package. R package version 2.6-10. [URL: https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan]
Pérez-Granados C, Schuchmann KL (2021) Passive acoustic monitoring of Chaco Chachalaca (Ortalis canicollis) over a year: vocal activity pattern and monitoring recommendations. Tropical Conservation Science 14:19400829211058295. https://doi.org/10.1177/19400829211058295
R Core Team (2023) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. [URL: https://www.R-project.org/]
Rosa GL, Ellis JM, Bonaccorso E, Dos Anjos L (2016) Friend or foe? Social system influences the allocation of signals across functional categories in the repertoires of the New World jays. Behaviour 153(4):467-524. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-00003360
Rosa GL, Dos Anjos L (2022) Out of the blue: geographic variation and divergence between Azure Jays (Cyanocorax caeruleus) from two ecologically distinct ranges. Emu - Austral Ornithology 122(2):100-111. https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2022.2078218
Taylor AH (2014) Corvid cognition. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science 5(3):361-372. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1286
Wascher CA, Waterhouse G, Beheim BA (2025) Vocal mimicry in corvids. Animal Cognition 28(1):88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-025-02006-4

How to cite

Juan I. Escobar, G. Giselle Mangini (2026). Vocal repertoire of Plush-crested Jay (Cyanocorax chrysops): vocalizations and mimicry. El Hornero, Vol. 41 No. 2 (2026). https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v41i2.1553

Downloads

0Abstract views

2Formats

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

[1] Alonso HG (2001) Conductas de gregarismo y vocalización de la cotorra cubana (Amazona leucocephala). Ornitología Neotropical 12(2):141-152

[2] Auer SK, Bassar RD, Fontaine JJ, Martin TE (2007) Breeding biology of passerines in a subtropical montane forest in northwestern Argentina. Condor 109(2):321-333. https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/109.2.321

[3] AviList (2025) AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025. https://doi.org/10.2173/avilist.v2025

[4] Baldo S, Mennill DJ (2011) Vocal behavior of Great Curassows, a vulnerable Neotropical bird. Journal of Field Ornithology 82(3):249-258. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1557-9263.2011.00328.x

[5] Barbosa da Silva L (2020) Vocal mimicry of raptor by the White-naped Jay (Cyanocorax cyanopogon) during a dispute over food resources. Atualidades Ornitológicas 217. Pp. 24

[6] Bierregaard RO, Kirwan GM, Boesman PFD (2020) Collared Forest-Falcon (Micrastur semitorquatus), version 1.0. En: del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J, Christie DA, de Juana E (eds) Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.coffal1.01

[7] Bonaccorso E, Peterson AT, Navarro-Sigüenza AG, Fleischer RC (2010) Molecular systematics and evolution of the Cyanocorax jays. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54(3):897-909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.11.014

[8] Brown AD, Grau A, Lomáscolo T, Gasparri NI (2002) Una estrategia de conservación para las selvas subtropicales de montaña (Yungas) de Argentina. Ecotropicos 15(2):147-159

[9] Brunetta B (2009) Ecologia e grito da gralha-picaça (Cyanocorax chrysops) (Vieillot, 1818) (Passeriformes: Corvidae) em duas formações florestais da Mata Atlântica, Brasil. Master Thesis. Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Brasil

[10] Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2026) Merlin Bird ID (Version 4.1.0) Cornell Lab of Ornithology. [URL: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/]

[11] Dos Anjos L, Vielliard JM (1993) Repertoire of the acoustic communication of the azure jay Cyanocorax caeruleus (Vieillot) (Aves, Corvidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoología 10(4):657-664. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81751993000400011

[12] Elie JE, Soula HA, Mathevon N, Vignal C (2011) Dynamics of communal vocalizations in a social songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 129(6):4037-4046. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3570959

[13] Ellis JMS (2008) Which call parameters signal threat to conspecifics in white-throated magpie-jay mobbing calls? Ethology 114(2):154-163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01439.x

[14] Ellis JMS (2009) Anti-Predator Signals as Advertisements: Evidence in White-Throated Magpie-Jays. Ethology 115(6):522-532. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01631.x

[15] Emery NJ, Seed AM, von Bayern AM, Clayton NS (2007a) Cognitive adaptations of social bonding in birds. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 362(1480):489-505. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.1991

[16] Emery NJ, Clayton NS, Frith CD (2007b) Introduction. Social intelligence: from brain to culture. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 362(1480):485-488. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.2022

[17] Enríquez PL (2015) Los búhos neotropicales: diversidad y conservación. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Mexico

[18] Espinosa de los Monteros A, Cracraft J (1997) Intergeneric relationships of the New World Jays inferred from Cytochrome b Gene Sequences. Condor 99(2):490-502. https://doi.org/10.2307/1369955

[19] García NC, Barreira AS, Kopuchian C, Tubaro PL (2014) Intraspecific and interspecific vocal variation in three Neotropical cardinalids (Passeriformes: Fringillidae) and its relationship with body mass. Emu 114(2):129-136. https://doi.org/10.1071/MU13010

[20] Giese JC, Hall JD (2024) Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas), version 2.0. In: Billerman SM (eds) Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grnjay.02

[21] Goller M, Shizuka D (2018) Evolutionary origins of vocal mimicry in songbirds. Evolution Letters 2(4):417-426. https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.62

[22] Grau HR, Arturi MF, Brown AD, Aceñolaza PG (1997) Floristic and structural patterns along a chronosequence of secondary forest succession in Argentinean subtropical montane forests. Forest Ecology and Management 95(2):161-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00010-8

[23] Hardy JW (1979) Vocal repertoire and its possible evolution in the black and blue jays (Cissilopha). The Wilson Bulletin 91(2):187-201

[24] Harvey TC, Gabriel PO, Black JM (2024) Propensity of Predator Mimicry in Steller’s Jays. Birds 5(1):173-189. https://doi.org/10.3390/birds5010012

[25] Hunzinger H (1997) Hydrology of montane forests in the Sierra de San Javier, Tucumán, Argentina. Mountain Research and Development 17(4):299-308. https://doi.org/10.2307/3674020

[26] K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2026) Raven Pro: Interactive Sound Analysis Software (Version 1.6.5). The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. [URL: https://www.ravensoundsoftware.com/]

[27] Kahl S, Wood CM, Eibl M, Klinck H (2021) BirdNET: A deep learning solution for avian diversity monitoring. Ecological Informatics 61:101236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101236

[28] Kazue Uejima AM, Boesing AL, Dos Anjos L (2012) Breeding and foraging variation of the Plush-crested Jay (Cyanocorax chrysops) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124(1):87-95. https://doi.org/10.1676/11-027.1

[29] Kovářová E, Linhart P, Syrová M, Robovský J, Urbanová N, Veselý P (2025) Acoustic variation in alarm calls of Corvidae: effect of morphology, ecology and phylogeny. Animal Cognition 28:83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-025-02000-w

[30] Kroodsma DE, Byers BE (1991) The Function(s) of Bird Song. American Zoologist 31(2):318-328. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/31.2.318

[31] Lambert ML, Jacobs I, Osvath M, von Bayern AM (2019) Birds of a feather? Parrot and corvid cognition compared. Behaviour 156(5-8):505-594. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-00003527

[32] Lavariega MC, Monroy-Gamboa AG, Padilla-Gómez E, Olivera-Martínez U (2019) Patrones de actividad de la chachalaca pálida (Ortalis poliocephala). Huitzil 20(2):e-536. https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2019.20.2.455

[33] Leighton GM, Birmingham T (2021) Multiple factors affect the evolution of repertoire size across birds. Behavioral Ecology 32(3):380-385. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araa139

[34] Martos-Martins R, Donatelli RJ (2018) Vocal mimicry of Collared Forest-Falcon, Micrastur semitorquatus (Falconiformes: Falconidae), by Plush-crested Jay, Cyanocorax chrysops (Passeriformes: Corvidae), in the municipality of Pirajuí, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Atualidades Ornitológicas 206:21

[35] Medina I, Francis CD (2012) Environmental variability and acoustic signals: a multi-level approach in songbirds. Biology Letters 8(6):928-931. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0522

[36] Oksanen J, Simpson G, Blanchet F, ..., Weedon J (2025) vegan: Community Ecology Package. R package version 2.6-10. [URL: https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan]

[37] Pérez-Granados C, Schuchmann KL (2021) Passive acoustic monitoring of Chaco Chachalaca (Ortalis canicollis) over a year: vocal activity pattern and monitoring recommendations. Tropical Conservation Science 14:19400829211058295. https://doi.org/10.1177/19400829211058295

[38] R Core Team (2023) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. [URL: https://www.R-project.org/]

[39] Rosa GL, Ellis JM, Bonaccorso E, Dos Anjos L (2016) Friend or foe? Social system influences the allocation of signals across functional categories in the repertoires of the New World jays. Behaviour 153(4):467-524. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-00003360

[40] Rosa GL, Dos Anjos L (2022) Out of the blue: geographic variation and divergence between Azure Jays (Cyanocorax caeruleus) from two ecologically distinct ranges. Emu - Austral Ornithology 122(2):100-111. https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2022.2078218

[41] Taylor AH (2014) Corvid cognition. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science 5(3):361-372. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1286

[42] Wascher CA, Waterhouse G, Beheim BA (2025) Vocal mimicry in corvids. Animal Cognition 28(1):88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-025-02006-4