We could call this bird “stellar”, but that would be a bit too easy.
Instead, let’s give this Jay the introduction it really deserves.
Everybody meet the splendid Steller’s Jay, the dazzling western cousin of the Blue Jay, that looks as though it’s dressed for the oscars. You could say that this Jay “scrubs up well”, but we aren’t talking about Scrub-Jays here.
Being part of the Corvidae family, it’s no surprise this bird exudes intelligence and charisma. They excel in mimicry, stuffing peanuts in their crop and have an exciting genetic story that we’ll dive into later.
Why Steller and Not Stellar?
Although these birds are certainly stellar, this isn’t the reason why they are named Steller’s Jays.
They were actually named after the German explorer George W. Steller, who first documented them on an Alaskan island in 1741. Steller was considered a pioneer of Alaskan natural history and on the same voyage, he discovered several other animals that now bear his name. This includes the Steller’s Sea Eagle, the Steller’s Sea Lion and the now-extinct Steller’s Sea Cow.
Although known by most of us as Steller’s Jays, these birds are set to be called a new name soon. This is because of the American Ornithological Society’s Bird Renaming Project, which is aiming to remove human names from bird species. You can read more about this here.
How to Identify a Steller’s Jay
The Steller’s Jay is distinctive, with its deep blue and sooty-black plumage. Their body feathers are entirely blue, while their wings and tail are blue with black bars. If you get up close enough, you may also spot the white/light-blue streaking across their forehead.
Their head is a dark charcoal color topped with a large black crest. If you see a Jay with a crest, it’s either our Steller’s friend or its eastern Blue Jay counterpart. From there, you’ll know you’ve found a Steller’s Jay if it lacks the white markings and underbody of the Blue Jay.
Steller’s Jays are around 12 inches long – that’s smaller than a crow but larger than a robin.
Females and males look the same, except females are slightly smaller.
Where to Spot the Steller’s Jay?
If you live in eastern North America, you may have never encountered this bird and you might be wondering, “Who dipped my Blue Jay in black ink?”
The Steller’s Jay never made it past the rocky mountains and resides only on the Pacific ocean coast of North and Central America. They can be found anywhere along the west, from southern Alaska all the way down to Nicaragua.
Just say “mountainous coniferous forest” three times and a Steller’s Jay might appear. In these woodlands, Steller’s Jays dominate. They also visit agricultural and residential areas with lots of trees, and make use of backyard feeders.
Steller’s Jays hang out in groups, or “parties” (yes, that’s the official term!), and often move to lower elevations in winter or when food crops fail in the mountains.
They stick together in these noisy flocks until the nesting season begins.
Steller’s Jay parties have complex social hierarchies. You will often see them flying from one forest clearing to another in a single file line.
If you want to spot these birds, look at the top of the pine trees where they often forage. They also forage down on the forest floor where they hop around in search of fallen food and insects.
If you visit a campground or picnic area in a western forest, you’re likely to see them around, often taking full advantage of unsuspecting picnickers and their food.
What do They Sound Like?
The Steller’s Jay’s dark plumage means this bird can easily hide in its shaded forest surroundings. Often the best clue for finding and identifying birds are the sounds they make. Luckily for us, the Steller’s Jay isn’t a quiet bird and so spotting them by sound is a pretty simple task.
The song of the Steller’s Jay is a whispered series of whistling, gurgling and popping sounds. This is very similar to the Blue Jay’s whisper song, if you have already heard this.
The website Xeno-Canto is a great place to look when trying to identify a bird by its sounds. You can listen to the Steller’s Jay song here.
However, you are more likely to hear the call of the Steller’s Jay. This is a loud and harsh ‘shack-shack-shack-shack’ sound. These birds make this call when flying, perching and while in aggressive interactions with other birds.
Like many other Corvids, the Steller’s Jay can copy the sounds of other birds, animals and even human-made objects like phones.
They are best known for mimicking the screams of Red-tailed Hawks. It’s thought that they do this to clear feeding grounds of other prey birds and get the best pick of the food.
What do Steller’s Jays Eat?
Steller’s Jays are opportunistic omnivores, meaning – they take what they can find.
Their diet is around two-thirds vegetable matter (e.g. nuts, seeds and berries) and one-third animal matter. In summer, they consume more animal matter including insects, small rodents, lizards and other birds.
They are also avid nest robbers. They are known to watch birds’ nests, waiting until every egg is laid before stealing them all. Occasionally, they will take nestlings and even eat the adult birds of smaller species like Pygmy Nuthatches. I’m convinced these birds are Blue Jays wearing a balaclava as a disguise for their sneaky habits!
If you’re lucky to have Steller’s Jays at your feeders, you may have noticed their skill at stuffing multiple nuts in their beak at once. They keep these nuts (up to a dozen de-shelled peanuts!) in their crop – a pouch in their throat – before finding a suitable place to hide them.
This is because, like other Jays, the Steller’s Jay is a hoarder. They bury seeds and nuts in various places so that they have something to eat if food is short. Sorry Grandma, but I think this might beat your cupboard of tinned soup!
As we mentioned before, these birds are opportunists. At campgrounds and picnic areas in the west, they’ll take any chance they can from unguarded picnics.
So don’t complain if they steal your half-eaten sandwich when you aren’t looking – we did warn you!
Steller’s Jay Nesting: Courtship, Eggs & Raising Young
You know when the Steller’s are nesting – because you can’t hear them anymore! The normally noisy and gregarious birds turn quiet and secretive once nesting begins.
As we mentioned before, Steller’s Jays normally hang out in parties (again, the avian kind, not the piñata and disco-ball kind). But when it’s time to nest, these birds split off into their couples.
These couples form long-term, monogamous bonds, returning to the same partner each breeding season. Even so, they still engage in courtship rituals. The male Jay offers food to his female (sounds nice, doesn’t it?) and shows off his striking crest and vibrant blue feathers to impress her.
Inside the Steller’s Jay Nest
The Steller’s Jay pair makes the nest together, normally high-up in a conifer but it can be built much lower and even just above ground level. Sometimes they are found on human-made structures.
The large open-cup nest is built up from sticks, leaves and moss and is lined with softer plant materials, like pine needles, and animal hair. It’s normally around 10-17 inches in diameter and 6-7 inches tall.
And it’s all held together with mud – actually Steller’s Jays and Blue Jays are the only New World Jays to do this.
Next, around five eggs are laid. The female incubates these eggs for up to eighteen days whilst her male partner brings her food.
Once the eggs hatch, both parents will feed the young who fledge at around sixteen days old. They’ll keep providing food to the fledglings for around a month after they leave the nest.
The Genetic Diversity of the Steller’s Jay
I promise this section is more interesting than it sounds!
So, there’s actually sixteen types – or subspecies – of Steller’s Jay. These subspecies are all genetically different but similar enough to be considered the same species.
Scientists have tried to categorize these subspecies into identifiable groups, based on their visible features.
They came up with three groups: coastal Steller’s Jays, interior Steller’s Jays and Central American Steller’s Jays. These birds all differ slightly in their size, plumage color and head pattern.
Most Identifiably:
- Coastal types have forehead streaking that is more blue-colored, whereas interior types are more bold-white.
- Central American types are smaller than the more northerly Steller’s jays.
The Blue-Steller’s Hybrid: A Bird Blend
Where it gets even more confusing is when we bring in the cousin from the east, the Blue Jay. As Blue Jay populations have expanded westwards, these two species are now co-existing in some overlapping areas.
After several strange coloured Jays were spotted, locals realized these birds were crossbreeding. So now, we also have Blue-Steller’s hybrids. I think they enjoy confusing us bird-watchers!
Conservation Status
At 3 million breeding pairs, the global population of Steller’s Jays is healthy and a ‘low-concern’ species for conservation. As with many Corvids, their intelligence has allowed them to adapt to human-altered habitats.
However, there have been some local declines in these birds and they are still vulnerable to certain human-caused factors. This includes predation from cats, pesticide poisoning and logging activities.
Final Thoughts
The Steller’s Jay is the dazzling blue-and-black Jay of the west. Like most corvids, they are intelligent, sneaky and undeniably charismatic. They love to hoard their food, scare other birds with their convincing Hawk impression and fly around in large parties.
Keep an eye out for them in mountainous forests in the west of North and Central America, and keep an eye on your lunch if you see any!
We’d love to hear your facts and stories about Steller’s Jays, so leave us a comment below if there’s anything you’d like to share!
