It is found in central-southern South America: in southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina, including southern regions of the Amazon Basin river systems bordering the Pantanal.
It has a cream-yellow underbelly, undertail coverts, underwings, and tail tip, while the upper breast, neck, and head are mostly black.
The range of the plush-crested jay extends from the Southern Region, Brazil with Uruguay and approaches the South Atlantic coast, but avoids the coast, approximating a 400 to 150 km coastal strip; the coastal-inland range extends 3500 km from São Paulo south to Rio Grande do Sul bordering Uruguay.
Plush-crested jays are omnivorous, eating primarily seeds, nuts, insects, small invertebrates, and sometimes fruits or maize.
They will typically create nests in trees, consisting of twigs, sticks, roots, and other fibers, where the female will spend most of her time while brooding.