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Message: <blockquote data-quote="cjwolf" data-source="post: 808094" data-attributes="member: 51985">Just looking at shape, I'd definitely  call that bird an aberrant  American Crow. A Purplish-backed Jay would have a longer tail and have a more streched out look, and I would never even consider any species of jay if I found this bird in the field. Also note that in the first picture the eye is dark. Adult Purplish-backed Jays have bright yellow eyes. While the juveniles have dark eyes they also have a bright yellow bill. As has been said by several others, the bill is not the right size for a Purplish-backed Jay; it is much too large (proportionally). I'd also like to point out that the nasal bristles are very large and brushy (look at the first picture posted) that is a trait of crows and ravens, in jays they're much less distinct and smaller. Here's a nice close-up a Am. Crow's head and bill: <a href="http://www.birdsasart.com/American%20Crow.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.birdsasart.com/American Crow.jpg</a>As far as size goes, taking measurements in the hand you're bound to have large and small birds. Size of a lone bird is rarely useful for identification, and measuring the bird from a picture can be very inaccurate.Cole</blockquote>