Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

The green jay is the most colorful member of the crow and jay family (corvids), but the example it provides of bird “cultural” difference is even more dramatic than its plumage. There are two distinct populations of green jay, one occurring primarily in Mexico and Central America, and the other, sometimes called the Inca jay, loosely tracing the spine of the northern Andes in South America. The Mexican population has been expanding its range, and green jays are now established in southern Texas. (The birds I referenced to create this Field Guide color column were photographed in Texas and Mexico; South American birds have different plumage and eye coloration.) Interestingly, green jays exhibit regional differences in behavior in addition to plumage and vocalization differences. In Texas, the jays live in family groups composed of a breeding pair, that pair’s nestlings, and yearling, nonbreeding adults from the prior year’s nest. The nonbreeding adults do not help with the parenting, but they defend the family’s territory. Once the year’s nestling are fledged, their older siblings are forced out of the family group. In Colombia, though, nonbreeding adult Inca jays stay with their parents for several years, and they *do* assist with nestling feedings. There’s no doubt about it; birds have what we think of, in human terms, as distinct cultures.

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.