AUGUST I SEPTEMBER 2020 birdsandblooms.com 11
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The Most
Stellar Jay
mart, gregarious
and handsome, the
Steller’s jay lives
year-round in the
western half of North America,
frequenting campgrounds,
picnic grounds and yards.
From a distance, the Steller’s,
which is related to the blue jay,
may look like just a dark crested
bird. A closer view reveals its
striking dark head and shoulders
contrasted with its deep blue
body and tail.
Jeff Black, a Department of
Wildlife professor at Humboldt
State University based in Arcata,
California, has been studying
Steller’s jays since 1998. These
brightly colored jays belong to the
corvid family, known to be among
the most intelligent in the avian
world. That, along with the birds’
sociable nature, makes it easy to
observe them.
“Here in Arcata, California,
jay pairs stake claim to our yards,
both front and back, and they stay
all day and all year,” Jeff says.
Researchers fit the birds with leg
bands, each with a different color
combination to identify them.
“Jay pairs readily come to bird
feeders, so we can see who’s who
and who they are hanging out with
or chasing off,” Jeff says.
To attract Steller’s to your own
feeder, offer peanuts, black oil
sunflower seeds, suet or fruit. Pine
and oak trees are alluring cover
S
THE FEED
and provide additional food and
nesting sites.
Steller’s are opportunistic birds,
eating any leftovers people may
leave behind, insects, berries,
nuts, bird eggs and even small
animals such as lizards. As winter
approaches, they hide food for later
retrieval, gathering nuts and seeds
in their throats and stuffing the
nourishment into nooks and other
hiding spots for later in the year.
These clever and social jays
communicate with other birds
in a variety of ways. Jeff says,
“They have dozens of call types
conveying different information.”
These include harsh rattles and
melodious notes.
“Steller’s jays also imitate calls
made by hawk species they live
with,” he says. In winter, they use
those calls to scare other birds
away from feeders so all the food
is left to them. Using their voices
in another way, they team up to
scold and chase away predators,
including the great horned owl, in a
group behavior that ornithologists
call mobbing.
Adults likely mate for life. They
engage in courtship feeding and
show off by throwing their crests
and vibrant blue feathers around.
During the breeding season, a
pair gathers pine needles, twigs,
grasses and mud to construct a
cup-shaped nest where the female
incubates up to six blue-green eggs
with dark brown spots.
FIRST CLASSIFIED
Steller’s jays are named after
German naturalist Georg
Steller. He first documented
them on an expedition to
an Alaskan island in 1741.
Steller’s are one
of my favorite birds
to watch. I love
their dusty blue
color against the
deep green pines
in the mountains
of New Mexico.”
Pat Northington
AUSTIN, TEXAS
BIRDS OF A
DIFFERENT FEATHER
These jays are found in
a variety of environments
from Alaska to Nicaragua.
There are many subspecies,
differing mainly in the pattern
of white or blue markings
on the head.
Attract bold and witty Steller’s jays to your
yard and experience their playful antics.
BY SHERYL DEVORE
Steller’s jay