Quantcast

Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleriOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Crows and Jays (Corvidae)

Breeding Location:

Forests, coniferous, Forest edge, Mountains



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Common in range, Stable



Egg Color:

Pale blue green or green blue with brown markings



Number of Eggs:

2 - 6



Incubation Days:

16 - 18



Egg Incubator:

Female



Nest Material:

Cemented with mud., Made of pine needles, twigs, dry leaves, roots, and grass.



Migration:

Nonmigratory



Splitbar

Overview

Steller's Jay: Large, crested jay, dark gray upperparts, head and breast, and blue rump and belly. Head has slight white eyebrow, forehead, and chin spots. Wings and tail are blue with black bars. Feeds on pine seeds, acorns, fruit, frogs, snakes, carrion, insects and eggs and young of other birds.

Range and Habitat

Steller's Jay: Largely resident from coastal southern Alaska east to the Rocky Mountains and southward into Central America. Preferred habitats include coniferous or deciduous forests.

Breeding and Nesting

Steller's Jay: Two to six light blue green or green blue eggs marked with brown are laid in a neat, twiggy nest lined with small roots and fibers, usually well hidden in a shady conifer. Incubation ranges from 16 to 18 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Steller's Jay: Diet consists of nuts, pine seeds, acorns, small invertebrates, and bird eggs; also scavenges around human habitations; forages on the ground or in trees and shrubs.

Readily Eats

Cracked Corn, Suet, Sunflower Seed

Vocalization

Steller's Jay: Calls include "shaack, shaack, shack" and "shooka, shooka" notes. Often mimics calls of other birds, including loons and hawks.

Similar Species

Steller's Jay: Blue Jay has a purple gray crest and back, pale gray underparts, and black collar extends around its body from breast to nape.

.
Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007  Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
 Privacy Policy.
Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Jays and Magpies (Corvidae)_blue
Species Cyanocitta stelleri
Length11.5 Inches
Wingspan17 Inches

Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay: Large, crested jay, dark gray upperparts, head and breast, and blue rump and belly. Head has slight white eyebrow, forehead, and chin spots. Wings and tail are blue with black bars. Feeds on pine seeds, acorns, fruit, frogs, snakes, carrion, insects and eggs and young of other birds.

● Song: "shaack, shaack, shaack", "shooka, shooka"

● Foraging & Feeding: Steller's Jay: Diet consists of nuts, pine seeds, acorns, small invertebrates, and bird eggs; also scavenges around human habitations; forages on the ground or in trees and shrubs.

● Breeding & nesting: Steller's Jay: Two to six light blue green or green blue eggs marked with brown are laid in a neat, twiggy nest lined with small roots and fibers, usually well hidden in a shady conifer. Incubation ranges from 16 to 18 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Steller's Jay: Blue Jay has a purple gray crest and back, pale gray underparts, and black collar extends around its body from breast to nape.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with buoyant steady wing beats.
Steller's Jay Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Steller's Jay: Largely resident from coastal southern Alaska east to the Rocky Mountains and southward into Central America. Preferred habitats include coniferous or deciduous forests.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon in range, Stable
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight4.5 Ounces