Steller's Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
Also known as: Mountain Jay, Stellar's Jay, Stellars Jay
About This Species
Look for this bold, crested jay in coniferous and mixed forest along the Pacific coast and interior mountains of North America, where it often perches conspicuously in the open and visits campgrounds or bird feeders. Its harsh, scolding call and deep blue-and-black plumage make it easy to identify at a glance. It is present year-round, though it becomes especially visible and vocal in autumn when caching food for winter.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- A distance of a few metres away from any nest is appropriate, since this species is confident around people and often approaches campsites on its own.
- Nests and eggs are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States and Canada, so deliberately disturbing an active nest is illegal even though the adults themselves are bold.
- Avoid intentionally feeding birds by hand, since this can alter natural foraging behaviour and increase conflict with other wildlife at picnic areas.
LCAvesPasseriformesCorvidae
Seasonal Activity
2,616,020 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
Photo
(c) Atlee Hargis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Atlee Hargis
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.