Steller’s Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

The western crested jay of mountain forests, from Alaska to Nicaragua. Bold, noisy, and an expert mimic of hawks.

Population: ~3 million mature individuals globally (~2.7 million in USA/Canada); population trend decreasing (slow decline, ~1-19% over three generations per forest-cover-loss modeling)
Habitat: Coniferous and pine-oak forests, including mountainous evergreen woodlands; adapts to forest edges and residential areas near woods (elevation range roughly 900-3,900 m)
Fun fact: Steller's Jays are excellent vocal mimics with a large repertoire, imitating other birds, squirrels, cats, dogs, chickens, and even mechanical sounds.
Range: Western North America and Central America: from southern Alaska and western Canada south through the western USA, Rocky Mountain foothills, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, to northern Nicaragua (extent of occurrence ~9.89 million km²)
Diet: Omnivorous — roughly two-thirds plant matter (seeds, nuts, acorns, conifer seeds, berries) and one-third animal matter (invertebrates, small rodents, eggs, and nestlings of other birds)
Size: 0.32 m
Wingspan: 0.44 m
Lifespan: 16 years

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