Birds · Passeriformes · Corvidae

Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Steller's jay is a deep blue corvid with a black head, crest and breast, native to the coniferous forests of western North America. It is one of the most familiar birds in the national parks of the American West, where it approaches picnic tables without the slightest hesitation. It stores acorns and pine seeds in scattered caches and is a notable mimic, especially of raptors.

Weight

100 g – 140 g

Size

30 cm – 34 cm

Lifespan

16 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestMountainOmnivore Diurnal Bird Temperate forest Mountain

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Fun facts

comportamientoIt can store seeds and acorns in hundreds of separate caches across its territory and remember roughly where they are months later.
It imitates the call of the red-tailed hawk to clear the feeders: on hearing it the other birds flee and the jay is left alone with the food.
It was described by Georg Wilhelm Steller in 1741, on the same Bering expedition on which he documented the sea cow and the sea lion that bear his name: the jay was one of the first proofs that the expedition had reached America.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Montane coniferous and mixed forests, campsites, parks and gardens of western North America
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 16 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanocitta_stelleri