Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Chara Crestada - en Español

What they look like: Adults: Head, neck and upper back are black. Their beak and feet are also black. From the neck down they are blue. Young birds are darker and the blue portions are not as bright as in the adult.

Blue Jays are about the same size of an American Robin or about half the size of a pigeon.

Where they live: Pacific coast from southern California to Alaska; resident and breeding throughout it's range. The Steller's Jay can be found in mixed forests, hardwood forests, coniferous forest, residential areas, and agricultural areas in forested landscapes.

What they eat: In the fall, winter, and spring their food consists largely of acorns, chestnuts, berries, seeds, grain, insect, lizards etc. During the summer months they destroy and devour a great many eggs and young of smaller birds. They will watch a nest until the full compliment of eggs is laid before stealing the eggs.

Nesting: Their nests are made of a bunch of tiny sticks stuck together with mud and lined with fine rootlets placed 6 to 30 feet high in evergreen trees. That means their nests could be low enough for an adult to touch to as high up as a three story building.

They lay about 3 to 5 eggs. The eggs are the color of the light blue sky on a sunny day. Their eggs also have light brown spots on them. Steller's Jays usually lay their eggs from April to May.

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