Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay, adult interior form

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Steller's Jay, adult, Pacific form

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A striking crested bird of bright blue and black, the Steller's Jay is a familiar sight around campgrounds in the mountains of the West.

Description

• Large songbird.
• Crest on head dark blue or black.
• Head, chest, and back brownish-black.
• Wings, tail, and body deep blue.

• Size: 30-34 cm (12-13 in)
• Weight: 100-140 g (3.53-4.94 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Large variety of loud and harsh calls. Common call a harsh "shaar," and a rapid rattling "shek, shek, shek, shek."

Conservation Status

No obvious trends in population changes.

Other Names

Geai de Steller (French)
Chara Crestada (Spanish)

Cool 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. For an example of such an irruption as detected by FeederWatch data, click here.

• 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.

Sources used to construct this page:

Greene, E., W. Davison, and V. R. Muehter. 1998. Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri). In The Birds of North America, No. 343 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.