Steller's Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
They are expert mimics and can perfectly imitate the scream of a Red-tailed Hawk to scare other birds away from a food source.
- Scientific name
- Cyanocitta stelleri
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Corvidae › Cyanocitta
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Coniferous and mixed forests, especially in mountainous regions.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; feeds on pine seeds, acorns, berries, insects, eggs, and small nestlings.
- Range
- Western North America, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Central American Highlands
- Size
- Length: 30-34 cm; Wingspan: 44 cm; Weight: 100-140g
- Lifespan
- 10-16 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, climate change affecting seed crops, and susceptibility to West Nile virus.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but bold. Steller's Jays are frequent 'camp robbers' that may approach humans for food. Do not feed them, as human food causes nutritional deficiencies and habituation. Observe their complex social behaviors from a distance of 5-10 meters.
The Steller's jay ( Cyanocitta stelleri ) is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the blue jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the long-crested jay , mountain jay , and pine jay . It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains.
Photo: Zoltán Stekkelpak, CC0, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/ab5526f1-b217-48a4-8dcd-5d2be9306827.md