Pinyon Jay (PIJA)
Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
Range
Pinyon Jays are non-migratory birds, so they are found year-round in their habitats across the western United States. In particular they are found in parts of Oregon, California, most of Nevada, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and the northern regions of New Mexico and Arizona.
Additional Maps
Identification
Pinyon Jays are an appealing medium-sized bird that is a beautiful dusty blue shade. The chest of adults can occasionally be more gray or slate-colored, but the tail, wings, and back of the birds is a dusty-periwinkle blue. The heads of adults are a darker navy, while a small patch underneath their eyes can be a much brighter blue than the rest of the bird. The eyes, bill, and feet are dark gray or black. Juveniles appear much paler than adults, commonly mistaken for being white or gray instead of the very very pale blue. The striking blue pigment comes in with age. These birds caw and squawk to each other, sometimes with a wavering quality. When frightened or alarmed, they give a louder, staccato call.
Habitat
Pinyon Jays primarily inhabit pinyon-juniper woodlands, but are also found in sagebrush, scrub oak, chaparral, and ponderosa pine forests. The species’ range extends from central Oregon to northern Baja California and eastward to western Oklahoma.
Conservation Status
- Listed as Decreasing by American Bird Conservancy
- Listed as Vulnerable by BirdLife International
- Listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Listed as an Yellow-Alert Species by Road to Recovery
Status by State
- Listed as Vulnerable by Arizona State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg 312)
- Listed as Vulnerable by Colorado State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg 248)
- Listed as Vulnerable by New Mexico State Species of Greatest Conservation Need
- Listed as Vulnerable by Oregon State Species of Greatest Conservation Need
Threats to Conservation
Threats to the Pinyon Jay include habitat loss, which affects them more than other species because they almost solely rely on pinyon pines and juniper trees for their habitat. Woodland management practices such as deforestation can also harm these birds, and due to the limited number of areas they deem suitable, many populations have nowhere else to go. Climate change decreasing the amount of pinyon pine seeds available for their diet also affects these birds, in addition to urbanization of their ancestral range. When combined, all of these factors have been the cause of this species declining as much as 80% in the past fifty years.
Funding Opportunities
- America the Beautiful Challenge
- Community Forest Program
- ConocoPhillips Partnership for Public and Private Land Managers
- Conservation Nation Grant Program
- Conservation Reserve Program
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
- Fish and Wildlife Grants List for California
- Hewlett Foundation- Western Conservation Grants
- Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Small Grant Program
- Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant
- NFWF- America Restoration Grant
- Pacific Birds U.S. Partnership
- Partners for Fish and Wildlife
- Point Blue California Restoration Grant
- Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
- Sacramento California Grant and Funding
- Sonoran Joint Venture Awards Program
- The Lawrence Foundation- Environmental Grants
- The Migratory Bird Program
- Tribal Wildlife Grants
- Western Habitat Grant Proposals
- Wildlife Conservation Grants for Species Conservation
- Wildlife Diversity Grant Program