Birds
Steller's Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri · also called Steller's jays
At a western mountain campsite, a bold Steller’s jay hops closer to an unattended picnic table, its prominent dark crest raised, filling much the same ecological and cultural role in the West that the blue jay fills across eastern North America.
Overview
Steller’s jay, Cyanocitta stelleri, is a bold, crested corvid native to coniferous forest and mountain woodland across a broad range of western North America. Its prominent dark crest, vocal mimicry skills, and close ecological parallel to the eastern blue jay make it one of the more recognisable and behaviourally confident jays in North America.
The West’s answer to the blue jay
Where the blue jay rules eastern backyards and woodlands, Steller’s jay fills much the same bold, opportunistic role across the mountains and forests of the West, the two species’ ranges meeting only in a narrow overlap zone.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and common across suitable coniferous forest and mountain woodland throughout western North America.
Steller's Jay: common questions
How is Steller's jay different from the blue jay?
Steller's jay occupies western North America while the blue jay occupies the east, with the two species' ranges meeting only in a narrow overlap zone, and Steller's jay shows an overall darker blue and black colouration along with a prominent dark crest, compared with the blue jay's more boldly patterned blue, white, and black plumage.
Can Steller's jay imitate other birds?
Yes, this species is capable of mimicking the calls of other birds, including hawks, a vocal skill that may help startle other birds away from a food source or nest, adding to the species' reputation as a bold and resourceful forager.
Why does Steller's jay approach people so readily?
This species has a naturally bold, inquisitive personality and readily approaches campsites, picnic areas, and bird feeders in search of an easy meal, a tolerance for human presence that makes it one of the more familiar and easily observed jays across its mountain forest range.
What does Steller's jay eat?
This species is an omnivore feeding on seeds, nuts, insects, and small vertebrates, and it will also take the eggs and nestlings of other birds when the opportunity arises, reflecting the same opportunistic, varied diet typical of jays and corvids generally.