B.C.’s Steller Bird: Cyanocitta stelleri

The Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

A Steller’s jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) (left) compared to a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) (right). (Steller’s jay photo by Genevieve van der Voort, blue jay photo courtesy of Samuelle Simard-Provençal).

While sometimes mistakenly called “blue jays”, Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) are a unique species of their own. Steller’s jays are in the same genus as blue jays, Cyanocitta, and are members of the family, Corvidae, however, the two species rarely have overlapping ranges, with Steller’s jays occurring in western North America and blue jays in the east (Audubon).
Steller’s jays are a long-lived species, with the oldest wild Steller’s jay being 16 (All About Birds). Steller’s jays acquired their name from the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, and share this namesake with several other familiar species, such as Steller’s sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) and Steller’s eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus). Steller described the jays while stopped on Kayak Island, Alaska during his 1741 voyage. The species was later given its name by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788 (Birds of North America). In 1987 the Steller’s Jay was voted by the public to be B.C.’s provincial bird, beating the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) by around 2,000 votes (Yearwood-Lee, 2006).

Description

A Steller’s jay perched on a branch. Note the streaked triangular crest on the top of the head. (Photo by Doug Mosher).

Steller’s jays are distinguished by their stark colours, mainly blues and black, and by the triangle-shaped crest of feathers extending from the tops of their heads. Younger birds will be a duller grey compared to the dark black found on adults (Sibley, 2000).

It is not possible to identify the sex of the bird based on visual identifiers, especially from a distance (Sibley, 2000). Their striking blue colours are a result of light reflecting off air and keratin found in the feathers. The production of these structural colours may serve as an indication of a bird’s quality to potential mates (Zirpoli et al., 2013).

Subspecies

There have been 16 described subspecies of Steller’s Jay (All About Birds), with at least 13 occurring in North America (Wiebe, 1995). Different subspecies will have different colours present and small differences in sizes. For example, Cyanocitta stelleri ridgwayi, a subspecies found in Chiapas and west Guatemala, have more blue than Northern subspecies (Madge and Burn, 1994)

Cyanocitta stelleri ridgwayi, a subspecies of Steller’s jay found in Central America. (Photo by Francisco Herrera).

There are three to four subspecies found in B.C.; Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri, C. s. carlottae, C. s. annectens and C. s. paralia. The C. s. paralia populations in B.C. are possibly mixes between C. s. stelleri, C. s. annectens and C. s. paralia. C. s. paralia has also sometimes been grouped with C. s. stelleri (Wiebe, 1995).

Different subspecies of Steller’s jay are found in B.C. in depending on the region. Note the differences in crest streaking and the supercilium (eyebrow spot). (Interior jay photo, coastal jay photo, and Haida Gwaii jay photo from iNaturalist ).
 

The coastal B.C. subspecies (C. s. stelleri), have medium to dark blue streaks on their crests, with some on Vancouver Island being lighter blue.

Interior subspecies (C. s. annectens and C. s. paralia): have breast feathers that are lighter blue and a greyish back. The majority have light blue streaks on their crests and a white spot above their eye. C. s. paralia look similar to C. s. annectens but may be slightly smaller and darker.

The Haida Gwaii are home to an endemic subspecies, C. s. carlotte. Most birds are lacking coloured streaks in their crest and this subspecies is relatively darker and larger than the other B.C. subspecies (Wiebe, 1995).

To further confuse the things, not only can subspecies overlap (Wiebe, 1995), Steller’s jay and blue jay hybrids have been observed in Colorado, where the species’ ranges meet (All About Birds). The behaviour of these hybrids was observed to match that of Steller’s jay when feeding, and the hybrids were observed using both Steller’s jay and blue jay calls (Williams and Wheat, 1971).

A hybrid Steller’s jay and blue jay with a peanut (Williams and Wheat, 1971).

Habitat and Range

Steller’s jays can be found in, pine, spruce, fir, and mixed oak forests (Audubon). They tend to reside higher in trees and in small groups (Sibley, 2000). When the jays are not nesting, they may venture into other habitats, such as orchards and suburbs, and are a striking visitor at bird feeders. While their ranges are usually fixed and they are a non-migratory species, during the winter they may migrate to lower elevations, possibly depending on food availability (Audubon).

A map of North America showing the distribution of Steller’s jay (All About Birds)

Steller’s Jay populations are considered stable (All About Birds). However, Environment Canada has listed the species as a “priority species” for assessing and maintaining their populations in coastal B.C., especially C. s. carlotte, the subspecies endemic to Haida Gwaii (Canadian Wildlife Service, 2013).

Sounds

Steller’s jays are vocal and make a variety of calls, such as a harsh “shaaaaar” (or “wah“), or multiple and rapid “shek shek shek” (or “weh“) noises (Sibley, 2000). Many of their calls are used in communication, especially when interacting with other jays during courtship or confrontation (All About Birds).

Steller’s jay’s “wah” calls followed by their “wek” calls. (Audio from Kelly Perry)

These two calls may also function as alarm signals to other jays (Billings et al., 2017). “Wah” calls have been observed when a group of jays were seen mobbing a Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) and may possibly be used to confuse the predator during the mobbing (Ficken, 1989). Groups of Steller’s jays will alter the number of “wah” and “wek” calls in the presence of different potential predators. For example, when presented with the audio or visual cues of a well-known predator, Northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), Steller’s jays produced more alarm calls than when presented with a less-threatening predator, Northern pygmy owls (Glaucidium californicum) (Billings et al., 2017).

Steller’s jays are known to mimic many other species, including red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), northern flickers (Colaptes auratus), northern goshawks, white-breasted nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis), and squirrels. They have also mimicked mechanical noises in their environment, such as sprinklers (All About Birds). There are different theories as to why jays mimic predatory species. One possibility is that they may be able to exclude other birds from feeding by scaring them off. Another idea is that these calls are made by the group to serve as alarm calls. When the call of a red-tailed hawk was played to a group of feeding Steller’s jays, the groups reacted by mimicking the call and then fleeing the feeding area (Billings et al., 2017).

A Steller’s jay mimicking the call of a red-tailed hawk (Audio from Audubon)

Nesting

Baby Steller’s jays will wait to be fed by their parents. While not as striking as the adults, note their characteristic blue and black colours forming. (Photo by Sarvey Wildlife )

Steller’s jays will form long-term pairs that work together to build their nests, feed nestlings, and defend territory (Overeem et al., 2014). Their nests are built usually in conifers. It takes approximately 16 days each to build a nest and incubate their young. Their nests are made of twigs, leaves and other plant material or animal hair stuck together with mud. Females usually have one brood per year, with 2-6 eggs per clutch. The colour of the eggs can range from bluish-green to spotted brown or olive (All About Birds).

Diet

Steller’s jays will forage year-round and are known to eat a wide variety of foods, such as nuts, seeds, insects, berries, eggs, garbage, suet, and smaller animals (All About Birds, Audubon). During periods of prolonged snow and cold in Arizona, there have been observations of Steller’s jays capturing and eating an adult Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea) and adult Grey-headed Juncos (Junco hyemalis caniceps) (Carothers et al., 1972).

Mimic marbled murrelet eggs used by Gabriel and Golightly (2017) (left), and a Steller’s jay next to the mimic eggs in the field (right) (Photos by Richard Golightly)

As previously mentioned, Steller’s jays also consume the eggs of other birds. An example of a species they prey upon is the endangered marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). These birds nest inland in the canopy of conifer trees. Predation by Corvids (e.g. crows, ravens, jays) is thought to one of the factors affecting the survival of this species (Hébert and Golightly, 2007). Gabriel and Golightly (2014) showed that wild Steller’s jays can be taught to avoid marbled murrelets eggs when presented with mimic eggs that contain a low, non-toxic level of emetic carbachol, a substance that induces retching and vomiting. The Steller’s jays learned to associate these reactions with the eggs, and predation of mimic eggs was reduced by 37% in the field.

Caching

Many species of jays will cache their food, meaning they will store a food item and return later to consume it. Steller’s jays will store foods such as acorns and other seeds by burying them (Kalinowski et al., 2015). These caches may be accessed during the winter when food is scarce or for short term use soon after the item has been cached (Rockwell et al., 2013).

Steller’s jays are also known to take advantage of other caching species of bird. They have been seen robbing the caches of Canada jays (Perisoreus canadensis) and Clark’s nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) (Burnell and Tomback, 1985). The behaviour of these two species has been seen to change when in the presence of a Steller’s jay, often by delaying caching (Burnell and Tomback, 1985). Similarly, a study by Kalinowshi et al. (2015) observed how Steller’s jays alter their own behaviour in the presence of other Steller’s jays, by travelling and hiding their caches from mates (when not breeding) and travelling even farther when around non-mate Steller’s jays.  

A Steller’s jay preforming caching behaviour, either burying or retrieving an acorn. (Video by
Paul Contreras)

Considerable research has been done on the caching behaviour of Steller’s jays. Rockwell et al. (2013) showed that Steller’s jays will asses the quality of a potential caching item, for example a peanut, by weight and the intactness of the shell. The jay would more often take heavier peanuts and peanuts with uncracked shells away for caching, while preferring to eat cracked peanuts at the feeding site. It was also shown that these damaged peanuts had a higher chance of being consumed by insects when cached, compared to peanuts with intact shells.

Garry oak ( Quercus garryana ) acorns. Steller’s jays are though to act as major dispersers for this species (Fuch et al., 2000). (Photo by Wayne Matthews)

The caching done by Steller’s jays plays an important ecosystem role by dispersal of seeds and acorns, especially for endangered Garry oak (Quercus garryana) ecosystems in B.C. (Fuchs et al., 2000). Steller’s jays bury Garry oak acorns underground, which potentially protects them form predators and drying out. If some of these cached acorns are forgotten by the jay, the acorns may be able to germinate and sprout. On Vancouver Island, B.C., Steller’s jays have been observed to cache Garry oak acorns up to 600 m from their parent tree, and in a variety of habitats. Some of these habitats are well-suited for oak growth and survival (Fuchs et al., 2000).

Take Home Messages

I have been lucky enough to band a Steller’s jay during bird banding at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. B.C. Steller’s jays are an even more stunning bird up-close! (Photo by Genevieve van der Voort)

Steller’s jays are intelligent and striking birds found in Western North America and Central America. There are various subspecies throughout their range. They are vocal birds and forage for various foods. Putting out seeds, suet, and peanuts by your bird feeders is a good way to attract Steller’s jays to your yards (All About Birds), but as the video below shows, you may need to be prepared for the possibility of mischievous behaviours!

Video of a Steller’s jay knocking at a window! (Video courtesy of Samuelle Simard-Provençal)

Literature Cited

All About Birds: Steller’s Jay. (n.d). Retrieved October 27, 2019. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Stellers_Jay/id

Audubon: Steller’s Jay. (n.d). Retrieved October 27, 2019. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/stellers-jay

Billings, A. C., E. Greene, and D. MacArthur-Waltz. 2017. Steller’s jays assess and communicate about predator risk using detection cues and identity. Behavioral Ecology, 28: 776-783.

Birds of North America: Steller’s Jay. (n.d.) Retrieved October 27, 2019. https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/stejay/introduction

Burnell, L. K. and D. R. Tomback. 1985. Steller’s jays steal Gray jay caches: Field and laboratory observations. The Auk, 102: 417-419.

Canadian Wildlife Service. 2013. Bird conservation strategy for Bird Conservation Region 5 : Northern Pacific Rainforest. Environment Canada, Gatineau, Quebec. 148 p.

Carothers, S. W., N. J. Sharber, and R. P. Balda. 1972. Steller’s Jays prey on Gray-headed Juncos and a Pygmy Nuthatch during periods of heavy snow. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 84: 204-205.

Ficken, M. S. 1989. Are mobbing calls of Steller’s jays a “confusion chorus”? Jorunal of Field Ornithology, 60: 52-55.

Fuchs, M. A., P. G., Krannitz, and A. S. Harestad. 2000. Dispersal of Garry oak acorns by Steller’s jays. Proc. Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk, 1: 263-266.

Gabriel, P. O. and R. T. Golightly. 2014. Aversive Conditioning of Steller s Jays to Improve Marbled Murrelet Nest Survival. Journal of Wildlife Management, 78: 894-903.

Hébert, P. N. and R. T. Golightly. 2007. Observations of predation by corvids at a Marbled Murrelet nest. Journal of Field Ornithology, 78: 221-224.

Kalinowski, R. K., P. O. Gabriel, and J. M. Black. 2015. Who’s watching influences caching effort in wild Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri). Animal Cognition, 18: 95-98.

Madge, S. and H. Burn. 1994. Genus Cyanocitta. In Crows and Jays, S. Madge and H. Burn. Christopher Helm Publishers, London 191 p. 

Overeem, K. R., P. O. Gabriel, J. A. Zirpoli, and J. M. Black. 2014. Steller Sex: Infidelity and sexual selection in a social Corvid. PLos ONE, 9: e105257

Rockwell, C., P. O. Gabriel, and J. M. Black. 2013. Foraging dynamics in Steller’s Jays: size and viability of cacheable food items. Animal Behaviour, 86: 783-789.

Sibley, D.A. 2016. The Sibley Birds West. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, New York. 477 p.

Wiebe, K. L. 1995. A review of the morphology and taxonomy of Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) in British Columbia. British Columbia Birds, 5: 3-11. 

Williams, O. and P. Wheat. 1971. Hybrid jays in Colorado. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 83: 343-346.

Yearwood-Lee, E. 2006. British Columbia’s Provincial Emblems. Legislative Library of British Columbia, 2-8.

Zirpoli, J. A., J. M. Black, and P. O. Gabriel. 2013. Parasites and plumage in Steller’s jays: an experimental field test of the parasite-mediated handicap hypothesis. Ethology Ecology & Evolution 25: 103-116

14 thoughts on “B.C.’s Steller Bird: Cyanocitta stelleri

  1. Hi Gen,

    Nice blog! That little guy still knocks on our windows on a weekly basis, but he is a welcome visitor! I enjoyed your comparison of all the subspecies of Steller’s Jays, especially the one found in the tropics. I would LOVE to see that guy one day, he looks so neat. That Blue x Steller hybrid is also really cool with it’s very striking plumage – how surprising would it be to see him show up at your feeder!

    The Steller’s Jays’ mimicking abilities are quite cool. I was intrigued as to why they would mimic a White-breasted Nuthatch, but then I looked up the nuthatch’s call and it makes sense – haha! Nonetheless, it is very curious that these jays would mimic a non-predator. I wonder what advantage that would have? Or possibly, like many corvid peculiarities, these guys are just doing it for “fun”.

    The research on Steller’s Jays predation on Marbled Murrelet eggs was interesting. Those poor murrelets have it rough as it is. Do you know if there has been any update on the rate of predation on actual Marbled Murrelet eggs after the implication of this mimic egg program? It would be interesting if there were.

    Thank you for such an informative blog,
    Samuelle

    1. Hi Sam,
      Great questions! I’m glad to hear that Steller’s is still knocking! For your first question, you’ve brought up a good point – I’m not sure why they would mimic non-predator! Blue jays have been known to mimic songbirds, and Steller’s jays have also mimic mechanical noises (sprinklers), so is it possibly just a sound they’ve picked up on when young?
      As to your second question, I’m not sure of the extent this method was implemented. An article written about the paper mentions that the authors have been doing this for three years (as of 2014). I have not been able to find anything more recent than this. Other methods for helping marbled murrelets would be controlling Corvid populations around their nesting sites. Specifically, by humans not leaving food or garbage out in areas like campgrounds. Marbled murrelets eggs are at a greater risk of predation at forest edges, so reducing habitat loss and fragmentation will lower the risk of predation to the eggs.
      Part of a 2018 technical report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pacific Northwest Research Station goes over the state of the marbled murrelets in the PNW. The synthesis mentions the adverse conditioning method but does not state that it has been implemented.
      (https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr966_chapter5.pdf)
      (STJA and MAMU article: https://www.kqed.org/science/19039/new-way-to-save-endangered-species-make-predators-puke)
      Thanks for reading!
      Gen.

  2. Hi Gen,
    Very cool blog! I loved learning about the Stellers x Blue Jay hybrids and their mimicking abilities.

    For the Marbled Murrelet mimic egg research, has this been done widespread over the endangered MAMU habitat? It’s a great idea but wouldn’t it only be effective for one generation of birds? Did you come across any other measures being done to reduce MAMU egg predation by corvids that focus on longer terms?

    1. Hi Olivia,
      Great question! I don’t believe this method has been widely implemented. A lot of Corvid predation on marbled murrelets eggs happens as a result of habitat reduction – especially on forest edges. Reducing habitat loss and fragmentation seem to be more widespread methods for reducing predation to marbled murrelets eggs.
      As I mentioned to Sam above, a 2018 technical report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pacific Northwest Research Station goes over the state of the marbled murrelets in the PNW. Restoration of nesting habitat is outlined as an important method for managing marbled murrelet populations.
      (https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr966_chapter5.pdf)
      Thanks for reading!
      Gen.

  3. Hi gen, great article! I had no idea about how many different subspecies of Stellar’s jay there are around. You mentioned that there have been instances of hybrids between Stellar’s and blue jays in Colorado. Do you know if these hybrids are capable of breeding amongst themselves, or are they sterile?
    Thanks for your time,
    John H.

    1. Great question John! That’s something I hadn’t considered!

      The publication in the 1970’s saw four hybrids originally. The authors observed these hybrids engaging in courtship activates, then later that year they saw three new young hybrid jays and an adult Steller’s as a family group. These new hybrids had different patterns in plumage compared to the older hybrids. The authors mentioned that no blue jays had been seen in the area for a while, and it was possible that the new hybrids may have been backcrosses between the original hybrids and a new Steller’s jay. This is the only information I could find on hybrids being able to breed, from what I’ve gathered hybrids between these two species are quite rare!

      Thanks for reading!
      (1970’s publication: https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v083n04/p0343-p0346.pdf)

  4. Hi Gen,
    Great blog! Stellar’s are such cheeky birds! We used watch them steal food from squirrels when we went camping, and they always seem so fearless.

    I have a question about the social life of these birds. You mentioned that they usually hang out in small groups or as mated pairs. Do you know if they ever display sociality on a larger scale, like flocking juvenile ravens and their “gangs”? Or cooperative breeding like some other jays?

    Thanks!
    Merissa

    1. Hi Merissa, great questions! Social behaviours are such an interesting topic!

      From what I could find, I don’t believe that Steller’s jays engage in flocking type activities like ravens nor the type of cooperative breeding found in other jays. However, pairs exhibit ‘site-centered dominance’, or dominance that decreases the farther away from their territory the pair is. They also have a variety of ways to communicate and establish dominance with other Steller’s jays in their groups, such as raising or lowering the crests on the top of their heads in a confrontation.

      Thanks for the question and for reading!
      Gen.
      (An article more about their reproductive behaviour, if you’re interested: https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.viu.ca/stable/pdf/10.1525/auk.2012.11234.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A2bddcf96e84b3ad80072983d95ad63ea)

  5. Hi Gen,

    I’m always surprised by the differences in subspecies. I get so used to seeing the subspecies and variants from the local are that I forget that they can look different elsewhere!

    The food caching behaviour of Steller’s Jays (and other animals!) is fascinating. The selection for higher quality food is incredible too. Each individual must have a lot of caches to survive the winter, and sometimes so far away! Will an individual aggregate it’s caches in one area, or are they spread out? And how do they recognize the site of a cache when they finally retrieve it?

    Thanks,

    Sarah

    1. Hi Sarah, I was surprised by the differences in subspecies as well!

      For you first question, I’m not sure about how closely caches are situated next to each other. The study by Fuch et al. (2000) on Garry oak acorn dispersal by Steller’s jays mentions how jays were observed caching acorns from a parent tree anywhere from a few centimetres to 600 m away. The study also mentioned how jays preferred to cache in areas with higher shrub and tree vegetation and coverage.
      For your second question, I’m not sure about the specifics of site recognition, but All About Birds mentions the high capacity for spatial memory in Steller’s Jays. So for the majority of their caches they may just be remembering where they have stored them.

      Thanks for the questions!
      Gen.
      (Study on Garry oak acron dispersal: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ce03fuchs.pdf)

  6. Hey Gen!

    I really enjoyed reading your blog! I love that you distinguished the difference between the Stellers Jay and the Blue Jay. I have had conversations to correct the mix up of these two with many friends and family members since taking this course.

    My question is about the parental care of the Jays, you said that they are long term mating pairs, does this mean that both sexes share in the responsibility of rearing their chicks? ( sorry to give you animal behaviour PTSD)

    Thanks!
    Em

    1. Hi Em! Great question!

      From what I can find, both sexes work together to build the nest, feed nestlings, and defend territorial boundaries. Females will spend more time on the nest during incubation, during which the male will feed her.

      Thanks for the question!
      Gen.
      (Here’s an interesting study about the reproductive behaviour of Steller’s jays, a lot of cool animal behaviour stuff! https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.viu.ca/stable/pdf/10.1525/auk.2012.11234.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A2bddcf96e84b3ad80072983d95ad63ea)

  7. Hi Gen, great blog!

    I’ve always loved listening to these guys while out on walks or seeing them visit neighbourhood feeders!

    You mentioned that Environment Canada has listed these beauties as a “priority species” for assessment and maintenance of populations in BC. I was wondering why this was and if it should be cause for concern? If so, it would be great to know of any way we can help these cuties!

    Thanks for an informative and fun read!
    Melissa

    1. Hi Melissa, great question, I love seeing these guys out and about as well!
      Steller’s jays were listed as a priority species as they fall under the category of a ‘stewardship species’, meaning they “typify the national or regional avifauna”. The Haida Gwaii subspecies is listed due to regional concern, due to (I believe) their smaller population size as well as their stewardship status. The document also categorized the subspecies as blue listed. The document also notes that the species is undersampled and more data are needed.
      Thanks for reading and for the question!
      Gen.

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