Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus) - HBW 14, p. 590

Taxonomy: Corvus infaustus Linnaeus, 1758, Europae alpinis sylvis = Sweden.
Recent DNA-sequencing indicates that this genus and Cyanopica form unique clades, separate from other corvids; significance of this requires further research, but it may suggest that Perisoreus is not very closely related to Garrulus. Probably forms a superspecies with P. internigrans and P. canadensis. Geographical variation complex, with clines in colour tones, greyest in C Siberia and becoming more rufous towards W and again towards E, but tones and extent of rufous in wing vary also from S to N; further, clinal intergradation has created much taxonomic confusion in terms of number of races that should be recognized, various reviews allowing as many as 17 and as few as four. Conservative assessment suggests that manteufeli (from upper R Severnya Dvina, in NW Russia) be included within nominate, that monjerensis (lower R Yenisei to Olenek basin, in C Siberia) is synonym of ostjakoram, that bungei (NC Siberia between lower R Lena and lower R Kolyma) and sokolnikowi (NE Siberia) be treated as synonyms of jakutensis, that rogosowi (Yenisei valley S to Sayan Mts) and suschkini (Transbaikalia, Russia) be synonymized with sibericus, that varnak (NE China and middle R Amur, in SE Russia) be considered synonym of tkachenkoi, and that sakhalinensis (Sakhalin) be considered synonymous with maritimus. Nine subspecies currently recognized.