Blue Jay Vs Steller Jay

January 25, 2024 Post a Comment

Blue jay vs steller jay

Steller's and blue jays are the only North American jays with crests. Both are about 11-12 inches in size, with Steller's being slightly larger. With its black hood and dark blue feathers, Steller's is easy to distinguish from the blue jay, which has a light grayish chest and white spotting on the wings and tail.

What does it mean when you see a Stellers jay?

Northwest Native Americans have made many totem poles with the Steller's Jay as a little look out bird perched right on top. There are stories specifically about the Steller's Jay in mythology. “He is the message of hope in disrepair and the will to live.

Why are they called Steller's jays?

Steller's Jays were discovered on an Alaskan island in 1741 by Georg Steller, a naturalist on a Russian explorer's ship. When a scientist officially described the species, in 1788, they named it after him, along with other discoveries including the Steller's sea lion and Steller's Sea-Eagle.

Are Stellar jays aggressive?

The Steller's jay is a bold and aggressive species frequently found scavenging in campgrounds, picnic areas, and feeding stations in the West. The bird's flight is strong and steady, with wings rarely flexed above horizontal.

Are Steller's jays rare?

A common bird of western forests. Steller's Jay is most numerous in dense coniferous woods of the mountains and the northwest coast, where its dark colors blend in well in the shadows.

Are Steller's jays actually blue?

The Steller's jay is one of the more common birds Yosemite visitors see. It has beautiful blue feathers that aren't blue at all--that is, they have no blue pigment in them. This is also the case with Yosemite's mountain bluebirds.

What eats a Steller's jay?

It is very probable that Steller's jays are eaten more often by northern goshawks and sharp-shinned hawks than red-tailed hawks and northern pygmy owls.

Do male and female Steller jays look the same?

Female Steller's jays are very slightly smaller than fully grown males, but this isn't a reliable way of telling them apart. As far as coloration and plumage go, there is no consistent difference between males and females except for subtle differences to the tail, where females have fainter black barring.

Do Steller jays mate for life?

Steller's Jay Nests and Eggs Adults likely mate for life. They engage in courtship feeding and show off by throwing their crests and vibrant blue feathers around. A pair gathers pine needles, twigs, grasses and mud during the breeding season.

Do Stellar jays eat mice?

Pine seeds, acorns and mast seeds are some of the most important food sources for Steller jays. This is because these types of foods are rich in nutrients and help populations thrive. In some cases, Steller's jays will also eat small reptiles and rodents, including lizards, snakes and mice.

What bird looks like a blue jay but has a long tail?

The black-throated magpie-jay (Calocitta colliei) is a strikingly long-tailed magpie-jay of northwestern Mexico.

Are Stellar jays as smart as crows?

Native to western North America, Steller's Jays members of the Corvid family—the same group that includes crows, ravens and magpies—and are considered some of the most intelligent birds in the world.

Do Stellar jays eat hummingbirds?

Steller's Jays have a varied diet of seeds, peanut butter, insects and baby birds. We watch these jays eat hundreds of bumble bees every spring and summer. They are also known to devastate a bird's nest and eat baby birds. They are particularly fond of hummingbirds.

Are Steller's jays loud?

Steller's Jays give a loud and repeated shook shook shook shook call year-round, in flight, while perched, and during aggressive interactions. They also make a variety of guttural sounds and a harsh, nasal sounding growl.

Where do Stellar jays go in the winter?

However, they can move to lower elevations during the winter months when their beloved mountains become covered in deep snow. While they mostly enjoy deep forests, Steller's Jays will venture into more open forests, such as orchards and forested cities and towns.

What is the lifespan of a Steller's jay?

The lifespan of the Steller's Jay has been recorded in the wild at 16 years and 1 month (USGS 2007). Seasonally, the Steller's Jay concentrates where food sources are most abundant.

What is the rarest blue jay?

According to Bird Studies Canada, leucistic jays are indeed very rare. Leucism is a genetic mutation that prevents melanin and other pigments from being deposited normally on feathers, resulting in pale or muted colors on the entire bird.

What bird looks like a blue jay but isn't blue?

California Scrub-Jay California Scrub-Jays don't overlap with Blue Jays and lack the Blue Jay's blue crest.

What bird looks like a blue jay but is GREY?

Florida Scrub-Jay This bird is dull blue overall with a whitish forehead, pale grey back, and belly. Blue jays have a crest, while these birds do not. Also, the Florida scrub jay has a gray back and plain wings, unlike the blue jay with its white wing bars.

Do Stellar jays eat baby birds?

Steller's Jays are considered nest robbers. They are known to steal and eat eggs of other bird species. The usual victims are small birds like the Pygmy Nuthatch and the Dark-eyed Junco. Sometimes they even eat the nestlings, baby birds (AAB 2005).