The Beautiful Jay lives in wet montane forest from western Colombia to northwestern Ecuador. Its crown, back, wings, and tail are blue, set off by a black face.
Adults have a black face and forehead, a pale blue crown, and violet-blue back, wings, and tail. The belly is blue; females have a brownish wash on the upperparts.
At one nest watched in secondary forest in Ecuador in April 2009, both parents fed two chicks in turn. Food brought to the nest included crickets, dragonflies, and moths.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.