Steller's Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri · Crows, Jays, and Magpies
Banding codeSTJA
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 12.5 in long.
2Color pattern
- Tall black crest
- Charcoal front half, deep blue body
- Rocky Mountain birds have white streaks above the eye
3Habitat & season
Conifer and aspen forests, mountain campgrounds
In northern Utah: year-round.
Seen most often in July, August, September and October.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
Harsh 'shook-shook-shook' calls; a talented mimic.
“shook-shook-shook”
iNat 344038369 by Tser · Cooper Mountain - Aloha North, Beaverton, OR, USA · CC BY
Know it
- Often imitates the scream of a Red-tailed Hawk.
- Named for Georg Steller, a naturalist who saw one in Alaska in 1741.
- A familiar camp robber at Utah's mountain campgrounds.
Often confused with
Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay
American Robin
Common Raven- Blue Jay
- Pinyon Jay
From iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
Steller's jay is a bird native to western North America and the mountains of Central America, closely related to the blue jay found in eastern North America. It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains. It is also sometimes colloquially called a "blue jay" in the Pacific Northwest, but is distinct from the blue jay of eastern North America. The species inhabits pine-oak and coniferous forests.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0