Facts
- Natural habitat is oak woodlands and scrubby grasslands
- Back is gray-brown, belly is gray; head, wings, rump, and tail are blue
- Western Scrub Jays living along the west coast have brighter blue upper-parts and whiter throats than birds from the interior portion of their range
- Adults are about 11-13 inches long
- Have a sturdy, dark bill that is sometimes used to hammer nuts open
- Omnivorous; eating mostly acorns, nuts, seeds, fruits, and insects
- Often eat the eggs or young of other birds, but in summer are mainly insectivorous
- One pair defends a territory about 7.5 acres large, year-round
- Breeding occurs from early March to mid-August.
- Monogamous; usually lay 2-3 eggs; Male feeds female while she incubates the eggs
- Call is loud, throaty "jay" or "jree". In flight, a long series of "check-check-check" notes
- Jays bury many more acorns than they consume and help regenerate oak forests that have been destroyed by fire or drought
People and Western Scrub Jays
- In the early 1900s, many Western Scrub Jays were shot in the name of crop protection.
How to Coexist
- If you see a baby bird (nestling) fall from the nest, you can put it back into its nest immediately if there are no signs of injury
- If you see a fledgling (juvenile learning to fly) on the ground, leave it alone and bring your pets indoors for the next 3-5 days.
