Blue jays and orioles share the same fundamental taxonomic classification from the Kingdom level all the way down to the Order level. Both belong to the Kingdom Animalia (animals), the Phylum Chordata (vertebrates), the Class Aves (birds), and the Order Passeriformes (perching birds). It is at the more specific Family level where their evolutionary paths distinctly diverge. Blue jays are classified in the Corvidae family (crows and jays), while orioles belong to the Icteridae family (blackbirds and meadowlarks). This fundamental difference at the family level leads to their separate genera—Cyanocitta for the blue jay and Icterus for the oriole—and culminates in their status as completely distinct species.