Steller's Jay by David Whited

Steller's Jay

David Whited

Steller's Jay

Digital photography

Inv: MM-1173

The Steller's Jay is a striking, crested corvid found throughout western North America's coniferous and mixed forests, easily identified by its deep blue body contrasting with a black head, back, and prominent pointed crest—the only crested jay west of the Rockies. Bold, intelligent, and highly vocal, it has a varied vocabulary including a harsh "shack-shack-shack" call and is a skilled mimic, even imitating hawks to scare other birds from feeders. An omnivorous opportunist, it eats seeds, nuts, berries, insects, and small vertebrates, and readily caches food for later, while also being a common and often fearless visitor to campgrounds and backyard feeders in its range.