Mystery Bird: Black-throated Magpie-Jay, Calocitta colliei

Black-throated magpie-jay, a bird I only recognized because I've always admired the painting of it on the cover of my copy of A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America.

That book gives the habitat as "arid to semihumid woodland, semiopen areas with scattered trees and forest patches." It also mentions that white-throated magpie-jay can be found in the same habitat in part of its range, so there's one of the ten species, at least, though I don't think I have time at the moment to try to identify more. Maybe someone who's more expert (by which I mean, familiar at all) with Mexican birds can help?

Mystery bird -- Black-throated Magpie-Jay (formerly considered a subspecies of the White-throated Magpie-Jay?)
Sharing arid to semi-arid woodland and cactus scrub habitat in w Mexico: Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Black-vented Oriole, Thick-billed Kingbird, Lesser Roadrunner, Harris' Hawk, Crested Caracara, Gilded Flicker, Rufous-backed Thrush, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Rufous-naped Wren, Black-chested Sparrow, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Colima Warbler, Russet-crowned Motmot, Canyon Wren, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Rose-throated Becard, Ruddy Ground Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo.

There are a few parts to the question in the post. I'll try to answer in parts.

First, considering that the earlier series of posts had pictures from Arizona and there are outlines of large cactuses (saguaro?) and a bush (mesquite?) I'm going with desert/scrub habitat in Arizona.

The outline of the bird is not completely clear. I can't tell if that a crest at the back of the head and how long the tail is. I'll check guide books for the rest of my answer.

Tree kangaroo. rb

arby, I'm right there with you! I immediately identified it as the Australian Tree Wallaby but I suspected I might be wrong, glad to have confirmation. I don't know the birds of Australia, so I'll let that part pass.

I saw the Black-throated Magpie Jay near Mazatlan, Sinaloa. Other birds seen in Sinaloa on our trip (which continued into Nayarit, Jalisco, and Colima) were Collared Forest Falcon, Rufous-bellied Chachalaca*, Elegant Quail*, Military Macaw, Lilac-crowned Parrot*, Berylline Hummingbird, Plain-capped Starthroat, Mountain Trogon, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker*, White-striped Woodcreeper, Eye-ringed Flatbill (I know, but I saw it), Tufted Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, Pine Flycatcher, Nuttings Flycatcher*, Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher, Gray-collared Becard, Golden Vireo, Yellow-green Vireo, Tufted Jay, Purplish-backed Jay*, Sinaloa Crow*, Sinaloa Wren*, Brown-backed Solitaire, Russet Nightingale-thrush, White-throated Robin, Rufous-collared Robin, Blue Mockingbird, Gray Silky-Flycatcher, Tropical Parula, Spot-breasted (Crescent-chested) Warbler, Red Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Golden-browed Warbler, Red-headed Tanager, Scrub Euphonia, Elegant Euphonia, Rusty-crowned Ground-sparrow, Rusty Sparrow, Gray Saltator, Yellow Grosbeak*, Blue Bunting, Varied Bunting, Streak-backed Oriole*, (Yellow-winged) Mexican Cacique*, Black-headed Siskin, and White-collared Seedeater*. The asterisks mark species which were seen in the same Sinaloa thorn forest habitat near Mazatlan with the Black-throated Magpie Jay. Many of the other Sinaloa species were seen in more mountainous habitat.

Darrell Lee
Alameda, CA

Here's a partial list of the birds in that same southern Sonora forest that afternoon:

White-fronted Parrot
Mexican Parrotlet
Gila Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Thick-billed Kingbird
Social Flycatcher
Purplish-backed Jay
Rufous-backed Thrush
Black-capped Gnatcatcher
Streak-backed Oriole
Hooded Oriole

I'd planned to return to that very road week after next, but Norbert put paid to that by washing out roads and bridges and destroying houses in the area, so think we'll head for Yecora instead, where we'll see a different suite of high-elevation birds.

A black throated magpie jay is living in BLue Diamond, Nevada.