Extreme south-eastern Peru (Cuzco and Madre de Dios), northern and eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, south-western Brazil (southern Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, south-western Goiás, extreme western Sío Paulo and extreme western Paraná), northern Argentina (eastern Formosa, eastern Chaco, northern Corrientes, northern Santa Fé and Misiones) and extreme north-western Uruguay (Artigas). One recent and isolated record in central Sío Paulo.
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Purplish Jay (Cyanocorax cyanomelas) [XC591287]
by Dante Buzzetti from Pilcomayo, Formosa, Argentina (call)
Purplish Jay (Cyanocorax cyanomelas) [XC299441]
by Jeremy Minns from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Provincia de Andr\u00e9s Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez, Santa Cruz, Bolivia (alarm call)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Possibly forms a superspecies with Azure Jay (Cyanocorax coeruleus). It has been suggested that Violaceous Jay (Cyanocorax violaceus) and Curl-crested Jay (Cyanocorax cristatellus) could be members of same superspecies.