CreatureData

Pinyon jay

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus Wied-M. Neuwied, 1841

VUVulnerablesongbirds

The pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) is a species in the family Corvidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 99 g to 111 g and live up to 11 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)
Photo: David Menke · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the pinyon jay

Weight
99 g – 111 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
11 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
14.6 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
16.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.82src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 months – 17.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the pinyon jay live?

Not recorded

What is the pinyon jay?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) is a species of jay, and is the only member of the genus Gymnorhinus. Native to Western North America, the species ranges from central Oregon to northern Baja California, and eastward as far as western Oklahoma, though wanderers are often sighted beyond this range. It is typically found within foothills, especially where pinyon pines (Pinus edulis and Pinus monophylla) occur.

From the Wikipedia article “Pinyon jay” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pinyon_jay&oldid=1378517750), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the pinyon jay endangered?

The pinyon jay is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.

How is the pinyon jay classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCorvidae
  6. genusGymnorhinus
  7. SpeciesGymnorhinus cyanocephalus Wied-M. Neuwied, 1841

Synonyms Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus, Cyanocephalus wiedi, Cyanocorax cassinii, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus rostratus

Other names and names in other languages (43)
  • Piñon jayEnglish
  • قيق بينيونArabic
  • gaig dels pinsCatalan
  • Garsa blava dels pinsCatalan
  • sojka modráCzech
  • PiñonskadeDanish
  • PiñyonskadeDanish
  • SchlankschnabelhäherGerman
  • NacktschnabelhäherGerman
  • pina garoloEsperanto
  • Chara piñoneraSpanish
  • Arrendajo piñoneroSpanish
  • Urraca piñoneraSpanish
  • männi-sininäärEstonian
  • mäntynärhiFinnish
  • Geai des pinèdesFrench
  • Geai-bleu des pinèdesFrench
  • pjegavogrla šojkaCroatian
  • csupaszcsőrű szajkóHungarian
  • Ghiandaia dei piniItalian
  • Ghiandaia delle pineteItalian
  • マツカケスJapanese
  • pušinis kėkštasLithuanian
  • Pīniju sīlisLatvian
  • gaišzilais sīlisLatvian
  • Голоклуна сојкаMacedonian
  • TsʼáníNavajo
  • PinyongaaiDutch
  • pinjeskrikeNorwegian
  • modrowroniecPolish
  • gaio-dos-pinhõesPortuguese
  • gaio-dos-pinheirosPortuguese
  • Gralha-dos-pinhaisPortuguese
  • Остроклювая сойкаRussian
  • Западноамериканская сойкаRussian
  • kapuciarka borinováSlovak
  • Pinjonska krejaSerbian
  • tallskrikaSwedish
  • Çamfıstığı KargasıTurkish
  • сойка блакитнаUkrainian
  • 蓝头鸦Chinese
  • 藍頭松鴉Chinese
  • 藍頭鴉Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the pinyon jay

Other species in the same family Corvidae.

LC, Least Concern
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

Rook

Corvus frugilegus

Corvidae

ComparePinyon jay vs Common ravenPinyon jay vs Eurasian magpiePinyon jay vs Eurasian jayPinyon jay vs Western jackdaw

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the pinyon jay?

An adult pinyon jay weighs 99 g – 111 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the pinyon jay endangered?

The pinyon jay is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the pinyon jay live?

The pinyon jay has a recorded lifespan of 11 years.

What kind of animal is the pinyon jay?

The pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) belongs to the family Corvidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pinyon-jay

MLA

“Pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pinyon-jay.

BibTeX
@misc{pinyon_jay_2026,
  title = {Pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pinyon-jay},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}