Steller’s Jay – Passeriformes Corvidae Cyanocitta stellari
Identification & Description:
• Large songbird.
• Black sturdy bill
• Crest on head dark blue or black
• Forehead and throat may have some white flecks
• Wings, tail, and body deep blue.
• Wings and tail have dark bars
• Dark legs
• Size: 30-34 cm (12-13 in)
• Weight: 100-140 g (3.53-4.94 ounces)
Similar species:
Because of its large size, blue coloration and crest the Steller’s Jay is quite distinctive. Steller’s Jay has darker underparts than the similarly crested Blue Jay. Other jays lack a crest and have different markings.
Life History Groupings
• Migration Status: Permanent resident
• Breeding Habitat: Woodland
• Nest Location: Mid-story/canopy nesting
• Nest Type: Open-cup
• Clutch Size: 3-5
• Length of Incubation: 16 days
• Days to Fledge: ?
• Number of Broods: 1
• Diet:
Mostly: Nuts, Fruit & Seeds
Lesser Quantities of: Insects
Facts
• The Steller’s Jay and the Blue Jay are the only New World jays that use mud in the construction of their nests.
• The Steller’s Jay shows a great deal of variation in appearance throughout its range, with some populations featuring black crests and backs, and others blue. One black-crested form in southern Mexico is surrounded by eight other blue-crested forms.
• The Steller’s Jay periodically irrupts away from its normal range. Most of these far-ranging individuals appear to be young birds.
• Steller’s and Blue jays are the only North American jays with crests. The Blue Jay is expanding its range westward. Where they meet, the two species occasionally interbreed and produce hybrids.
Other Names
Geai de Steller (French)
Chara Crestada (Spanish)
Jays belong to the family Corvidae of the order Passeriformes. The Eurasian jay is classified as Garrulus glandarius, the blue jay as Cyanocitta cristata, and the gray jay as Perisoreus canadensis.
Jay, common name for a group of birds of the family that also includes the crows, ravens, and magpies. Most jays are smaller and more brightly colored than other members of the family; many of them have crests. Jays tend to be woodland birds, although several species have become urbanized and live in city parks. Most are noisy and are often found in flocks outside the breeding season. They are omnivorous, eating nuts (especially acorns), seeds, small amphibians, insects and other invertebrates, and sometimes the eggs and young of other birds.
There are few species of jays in Eurasia. The most widely distributed is the Eurasian jay, found all across the temperate and subtropical parts of Europe and Asia. The many subspecies vary in body color from gray to brown with a white rump and black tail. The crown varies from white, streaked black and white, to black. All have a bright blue-and-black barred patch on the wing coverts. Most are about 33 to 36 cm (about 13 to 14 in) long.
Most of the American jays are tropical, with species found from Mexico south to temperate South America. A few occur in North America, the best known of them the blue jay, found from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast. It is about 30 cm (about 12 in) long, with a prominent crest. Its upperparts are grayish blue; the wings and tail are brighter blue, marked with black and white, and the underparts are light gray. Originally a woodland bird, it is now a familiar sight in many cities, nesting in shade trees. About the same size, but crestless, is the least colorful species, the gray jay, an inhabitant of northern and montane coniferous forests. It is mostly medium gray, with a white forehead, and is a fearless bird, often stealing food from hunters’ camps.