Steller's Jay

Overview

Steller's Jay: Large, crested jay, dark gray upperparts, head and breast, and blue rump and belly. Head has slight white eyebrow, forehead, and chin spots. Wings and tail are blue with black bars. Feeds on pine seeds, acorns, fruit, frogs, snakes, carrion, insects and eggs and young of other birds.

Range and Habitat

Steller's Jay: Largely resident from coastal southern Alaska east to the Rocky Mountains and southward into Central America. Preferred habitats include coniferous or deciduous forests.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Steller's Jay and the Blue Jay are the only New World jays that use mud in the construction of their nests.
Although the reason is not known, they are occasionally observed far outside their normal range. Most of these far-flung individuals appear to be young birds.
They form flocks outside of the nesting season and often fly across clearings in single file.
A group of jays has many collective nouns, including a "band", "cast", "party", and "scold" of jays.

The Steller’s Jay is found mainly in western North America, and is related to the Blue Jay found throughout the same continent. This is the only crested jay found west of the Rocky Mountains. These birds are found in Alaska, Central America and southwestern areas of Texas. Their preferred habitat includes coniferous and mixed forests, but still requires open spaces. This species also lives in flocks of more than 10. Diets typically consist of seeds, nuts, berries, fruit, invertebrates, eggs, small rodents, acorns and conifer seeds. The current conservation rating of the Steller’s Jay is Least Concern.