Steller's Jay | HOTEL LAKE ADVISORY

Steller’s Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

Introduction

In November of 1987 a provincial vote took place to pick BC’s official bird that was to join the growing list of provincial emblems. BC’s Ministry of the Environment and Parks, assisted by various bird conservation groups, sponsored the vote and after a 3 month campaign with 80,000 people voting, Steller’s Jay won with 21,261 votes; the runner up was peregrine with 19,417 votes.

In a subsequent news release the winner was described as “an intelligent, mischievous, inquisitive clown that will take bacon from the camp fry pan”. But those descriptions seemed to miss the point entirely because, as any elected politician will tell you, being elected means you are “popular”. Today you can find the popular Steller’s Jay dutifully listed in the official list of provincial emblems which includes our provincial flag, coat of arms, provincial shield, provincial seal, flower, animals etc. It is there that our “popular" Steller’s Jay is now officially described:

“The Steller's Jay (Cyanacitta stelleri) became B.C.'s official bird on December 17, 1987. Coloured a vibrant blue and black, it's found throughout the province. This lively, smart and cheeky bird was voted most popular bird by the people of B.C”.

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Range

Steller's Jay thrive in most of the forested areas of western North America and as far east as the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Their range extends from southern Alaska in the north to northern Nicaragua in the south[. Up north its range appears to be spreading from coastal Southeast Alaska across the Coast Mountains and into southern Yukon Territory.

Steller’s Jays are common in mixed coniferous-deciduous coastal forests and mountainous areas but can also be seen frequently at campgrounds, parklands, and backyards, where they know bird feeders and unattended picnic items might be found. Steller’s Jays patrol the high forest canopy while hunting and their harsh, scolding calls resonate through the woods.

Characteristics - Anatomy

When Steller’s Jays are sighted here on the Sunshine Coast, many of us might call them blue jays. While these two birds are closely related, they are actually different species and up until now there has been very little overlap of their respective ranges. However in recent years, the range of the blue jay has extended northwestward and is now seen occasionally as a winter-visitor in BC’s interior and even along our coastline. So here are a few hints as to how you can spot the differences between Blue Jays and the Steller's Jays.

Steller's Jays are larger and have a slender bill and longer legs than the Blue Jay. Steller’s Jays have black-blue underparts and a black head and crest.

The smaller Blue Jays are much lighter in colouration with whitish markings and underparts and a blue head and crest.

The Steller’s Jay that live on our west coast are large birds about 12–13 in length with a long beak, a prominent triangular crest on their head, broad, rounded wings and a long tail.

The head and crest are charcoal-grey, and in some instances faint lighter streaks can be seen above the eyes. Northern populations, have a more pronounced black crest.

The black coloration of the head and upper shoulders transitions to a rich blue over the shoulders and on the lower breast. Wings and tail are a rich blue with darker barring.

Variations: In some areas, jay population ranges appear to be overlapping and breeding may be producing hybrids with a variety of intermediate plumages.

In some photos, jays appear with a tiny lighter streaks above their eyes leading to the suggestion that they may be hybrids between the coastal and interior types. Up to now, Steller’s Jays living along the coast typically did not have these.

These plumage variations may mean that we are witnessing a hybridization zone in action and that climate change may be one of the driving forces.

Habitat - Nest

Steller's Jays build large nests that are between 10-17 inches in width. They usually locate their nest at various heights and close to the trunk on the horizontal branches of conifer trees. However they are adaptable and will build nests in hollow trees and also in the eves of buildings or other man made structures. They use both natural as well as any trash materials available. They combine sticks and stems with moss and leaves and use mud to hold it together. Pine needles, animal hair and moss are added as a soft lining.

Life Cycle

These birds have a lifespan of around 16 years. They are known to form long-term monogamous pair bonds.

When not nesting they live in loud and noisy flocks. During nesting and breeding they become quiet and careful so as to not to attract attention.

Between two and six eggs are laid during breeding season. The eggs are oval in shape with a somewhat glossy surface. The background colour of the egg shell tends to be pale variations of greenish-blue with brown or olive-coloured speckles.

During the period while the eggs are being incubated by the female the male provides food for the the female.

After hatching the nestlings are kept fed by both parents for about a month. The fledglings take to the air with their first flights roughly 3 weeks after birth and at one month they begin to forage for food. The young birds often stay with the family flock over the first winter.

Foraging and Diet

Steller's Jays are omnivores with about one-third of their diet being animal and two-thirds being plant life.

They pursue invertebrates, small rodents and even reptiles such as snakes and lizards. They also hunt small adult birds and are efficient nest-robbers, attacking eggs and killing nestlings.

They search for a variety of plant life, which includes a wide range of seeds, nuts, berries and other fruit, both for immediate consumption and also to gather and store food in safe caches in trees or buried in the ground. To transport food for cashing, they are capable of carrying several food items, such as large nuts, acorns, pine cones or pine seeds, in their mouth and throat to store or bury them for winter food and, they are known to have the exceptional spatial memory necessary to re-locate these cashes.

Steller’s Jays are opportunistic scavengers and will steal food from other birds or look for handouts from people.

They are attracted to human activities such as at picnics and campsites or any garbage left carelessly accessible.

Leaving no stone unturned Steller’s Jays’ voracious appetite for food inevitably drives them to visit various wildlife-feeders where they find a wide range of sunflower seeds, cracked corn, peanuts and, when it can be found in winter, suet, a high energy food.

They also raid the caches of other jays and are accomplished nest predators, stealing both eggs and chicks from the nests of many species.

Special Habits

Locally, they generally move inland to higher ground in the summer and return as early as August to the low coastal areas in noisy flocks for the winter.

Being highly social, they travel in flocks. The can often be seen playing with or chasing each other.

Graceful and relaxed in flight, they fly with long swoops on their broad rounded wings.

On the ground and up in the trees, Steller’s Jays move around with quick-bold hops of their long legs. Pausing often, they continuously reconnoiter their surroundings with jerky movements of their heads in all directions.

Steller’s Jays are very vocal and deserve to be heard. This complex subject is expertly covered by the National Audubon Society and we have provided a link to their recordings of Steller’s Jay calls. You will find it in our “Rainy Day” section at the bottom of this page.

Endangered or Invasive Species

One of the few BC government sources of data on the Steller’s Jay is the BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report, which was last reviewed in 2019 ( link below in References).

Steller’s Jay really are abundant and have a strong presence. They are not believed to be in danger nor are they in decline and survey data indicates that populations have grown in the past 50 years.

Happily, there is relatively little concern about the future of British Columbia’s official bird.

Because of their versatility and adaptability they have demonstrated that they can survive human-caused development that destroys and modifies existing natural habitats. Even with the uncertainty of climate change we might be hopeful that our official provincial bird will continue to thrive in British Columbia.

How can Humans Help and Respect

Steller’s Jays got a lot of love and respect from the public during the 1987 vote that established them as British Columbia’s official bird.

How can we help them? Perhaps its enough just to know this bird’s story and to smile when you see one.

We realize many of you may have bird feeders that you are trying to defend for other birds. You may already have jays hogging your feeders and taking large quantity seeds and nuts that they are likely carrying away to store in a cache for the winter.

But if you are wanting to attract these Jays you can find out more about what this bird likes to eat and what feeder is best by using the following link: Cornell Lab’s Project Feeder Watch …….

Concerns and Recommendations

The Steller’s Jay is more than just a beautiful bird – it was elected as a symbol of British Columbia’s wild spirit, resilience and natural grandeur. From its striking plumage to its intelligent, adaptable nature, this bird seems to embody the essence of the province it represents.

Looking at the records, in 1987 BC’s government originally described the bird as follows:

“lively, smart and cheeky bird” and “an intelligent, mischievous, inquisitive clown that will take bacon from the camp fry pan”.

If thats all the BC government can say….then let's set the record straight because this bird is much much more than a “clown". Here are the qualities we discovered as we gathered this information.

Steller’s Jays are:

Inquisitive, adaptive, intelligent, bold and noisy, but quiet and inconspicuous (in the mating season), they form long-term pair bonds, and are cooperative (in groups to outsmart predators and even humans), clever, inquisitive, aggressive, scheming, photogenic, and expert vocal mimics…..

And, being, elected by the citizens of BC, they are popular!

They probably should have a seat in government!

There is a particularly good website at The National Audubon Society and if you use this link it will take you to a page about Steller’s Jay and it includes an excellent section with pushbutton access to the sounds and calls that this bird makes: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/stellers-jay

Keep on smiling because these birds just wont quit. We have found more than a few entertaining videos about them. Here is just one of them for your next coffee break, enjoy!