Mexican Jay
Mexican JayMexican JayMexican JayMexican Jay

Mexican Jay

Aphelocoma wollweberi

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
40–50% · Likely
overall probability at Big Bend National Park
1,999 Verified records at Big Bend National Park
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The Mexican jay (Aphelocoma wollweberi) formerly known as the gray-breasted jay, is a New World jay native to the Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre Occidental, and Central Plateau of Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States. In May 2011, the American Ornithologists' Union voted to split the Mexican jay into two species, one retaining the common name Mexican jay and one called the Transvolcanic jay. The Mexican jay is a medium-sized jay with blue upper parts and pale gray underparts. It resembles the Woodhouse's scrub-jay, but has an unstreaked throat and breast. It feeds largely on acorns and pine nuts, but includes many other plant and animal foods in its diet. It has a cooperative breeding system where the parents are assisted by other birds to raise their young. Wikipedia →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Jay sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 1,999 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Big Bend National Park

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aphelocoma woodhouseii

<5% · Rare
Common Raven
LC

Common Raven

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corvus corax

60–70% · Likely
Steller's Jay
LC Endemic

Steller's Jay

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cyanocitta stelleri

Insufficient data
Chihuahuan Raven
LC

Chihuahuan Raven

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corvus cryptoleucus

<5% · Rare
Blue Jay
LC

Blue Jay

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cyanocitta cristata

Insufficient data
Northern Mockingbird
LC

Northern Mockingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mimus polyglottos

60–70% · Likely
House Finch
LC Endemic

House Finch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haemorhous mexicanus

60–70% · Likely
Cactus Wren
LC

Cactus Wren

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

60–70% · Likely
Pyrrhuloxia
LC

Pyrrhuloxia

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis sinuatus

50–60% · Likely
Yellow-rumped Warbler
LC

Yellow-rumped Warbler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Setophaga coronata

50–60% · Likely
Ash-throated Flycatcher
LC

Ash-throated Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myiarchus cinerascens

50–60% · Likely
Northern Cardinal
LC Endemic

Northern Cardinal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis cardinalis

40–50% · Likely

📅 Monthly Probability

30–40
Jan
30–40
Feb
30–40
Mar
40–50
Apr
50–60
May
40–50
Jun
50–60
Jul
30–40
Aug
30–40
Sep
30–40
Oct
30–40
Nov
40–50
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
40–50%
2 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
30–40%

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Mexican Jay in Big Bend National Park?

About 45% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Jay sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 1,999 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Mexican Jay in Big Bend National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Mexican Jay in Big Bend National Park in our monthly data.

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