# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/ab5526f1-b217-48a4-8dcd-5d2be9306827
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/8234
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanocitta stelleri
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/42731844/medium.jpeg (Zoltán Stekkelpak, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.