Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay is a large, crested corvid of western North America, easily recognized by its sooty black head, back, and crest contrasting with vivid deep blue wings, tail, and belly. Some interior populations show thin white or blue streaks on the forehead and above the eye.

As the western counterpart to the Blue Jay, Steller's Jay is common and conspicuous around campgrounds, picnic areas, and bird feeders in mountain and coastal forests, known for its bold, inquisitive, and sometimes aggressive personality.

Key Field Marks

• Prominent black crest, unique among western jays
• Sooty black to dark brown head, back, and chest
• Bright deep blue wings, tail, and belly
• Fine white or blue streaks on the forehead in some populations

Similar Species

• Blue Jay has white underparts and face with a black necklace, lacking the solid black head, and ranges are mostly separate with limited overlap in the Rockies.
• California Scrub-Jay and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay lack a crest entirely and show white underparts with a blue necklace, quite different from Steller's Jay's dark, crested look.

Habitat

Steller's Jays inhabit coniferous and mixed conifer-deciduous forests, favoring pine, fir, and spruce stands, and are common in mountain campgrounds, parks, and forested suburban areas.

Range

Found from southern Alaska south through the Pacific coast, Rocky Mountains, and interior mountain ranges of the western United States into Mexico and Central America.

Migration

Most populations are resident, though some birds at high elevations move to lower elevations in winter.

Behavior

Steller's Jays are bold, curious, and often aggressive at feeders and campsites, readily approaching humans for food. They are also accomplished vocal mimics, imitating the calls of hawks and other birds, and cache food such as acorns and pine seeds for later retrieval.

Voice

Calls include a harsh, scratchy shaak-shaak-shaak and a wide variety of other notes, including convincing imitations of Red-tailed Hawk calls.

Feeding

Diet includes pine seeds, acorns and other nuts, insects, berries, and occasionally eggs or nestlings of other birds; they readily visit feeders for peanuts and suet.

Nesting

Pairs build a bulky twig nest, often cemented with mud, in a conifer; the female incubates 2-6 blue-green, spotted eggs while the male provides food.