ID Keys: Black head and crest, dark back, dark blue over the rest of
the body, long heavy black bill.
The Steller's Jay is the
only crested Jay of the Western United States, where the Blue
Jay is absent. There are cases of Steller's Jays and Blue
Jays interbreeding in their overlapping ranges of the Eastern Rockies.
Steller's Jays are bold campground robbers, but otherwise are generally shy,
retiring birds of dense Western forests. They are very rare visitors to
South Dakota.
Habitat
Primarily
conifer and mixed forests, much less common in groves of deciduous trees.
Diet
Omnivorous. Eats large
numbers of nuts and seeds, especially pine seeds and acorns. Also eats
fruits and berries, insects, frogs, snakes, small lizards, eggs and young birds,
small rodents, carrion, and garbage.
Behavior
Most often forages high in the forest
canopy for nuts and seeds, but will also forage lower in the canopy or along
the ground for other items. They can be extremely bold around
campsites and picnic areas in search of human food.
