Crows (Corvidae)

Brown Jay (Psilorhinus morio) - HBW 14, p. 587

French: Geai enfumé German: Spanish: Chara Papán
Other common names: Plain-tipped/Plain-tailed Brown Jay (brown-tailed morph); White-tipped Brown Jay (white-tipped morph)

Taxonomy: Pica morio Wagler, 1829, Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico.
Genus often subsumed in Cyanocorax. Occurs as two morphs, largely random in occurrence, white-tipped morph occurring at relatively high frequencies in arid and mesic regions, brown-tailed morph predominating in more humid areas; in Mexico, white-tipped morph, formerly treated as a separate species, "C. mexicanus", recorded N to C Veracruz (Plan del Río, 19°12' N), and brown-tailed morph found S to Montecristo, in Tabasco. Proposed race cyanogenys (described from Pearl Cay Lagoon, in Nicaragua) is synonymized with nominate. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

palliatus van Rossem, 1934 - extreme S USA (lower Rio Grande Valley, in extreme SE Texas), E Mexico (Nuevo León and Tamaulipas S to Veracruz, extreme E Tabasco and SW Campeche), S in Central America to W Panama (Almirante Bay region).
morio ( Wagler, 1829) - SE Mexico from coastal plain of C Veracruz S to E Tabasco (Montecristo) and N Chiapas (Palenque).
vociferus ( S. Cabot, 1843) - N Yucatán Peninsula.