How to Identify and Attract a Canada Jay

On This Page

What Does a Canada Jay Look Like?

Even if you haven’t heard of Canada jays, you’ve heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, black-billed magpies, and jays including blue, Steller’s and scrub. “Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn’t have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head,” says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.

In 2018, the Canada jay’s name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. “Most of its body is shades of gray with some white,” he says. “There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back.”

Similar Bird Species

At a glance, Canada jays may be mistaken for another corvid: the Clark’s nutcracker. Identify a Canada jay by looking for a shorter bill and a lack of visible white feathers on the wings and tail when in flight.

Meet more types of jays you should know.

Canada Jay Range and Habitat

Bnbbyc16 Sandra Scaggs 001 — The Canada jay used to be known as the gray jay.

Canada jays remain abundant year-round in conifer forests throughout most of Canada. Within the United States, they have ranges in Alaska, the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, and northern states such as Minnesota, Maine and New Hampshire.

“Here in western Canada, we frequently see a bird we call a whiskeyjack. It’s gray, not shy and very curious,” says Birds & Blooms reader Judy Fothergill Enderby, British Columbia.

Learn what a Steller’s jay looks like.

Diet: What Do Canada Jays Eat?

Canada jays have earned notoriety for their penchant of swooping in to steal human snacks. Adaptable and intelligent, they quickly learn what qualifies as food. “They’re sometimes called ‘campground robbers,’ ” Dale says. “They’re known to take advantage of any food available to them, and they’re famous for liking things like crackers and Cheetos.”

They’ll also chow down on peanuts, suet and even carrion. Similar to other corvids, Canada jays cache food. When they have access to a steady supply of sustenance, they’ll squirrel some away for later and remember where it’s hidden.

It’s certainly not recommended to put Cheetos in bird feeders. But for those looking to bring Canada jays to their yard, take heart: They aren’t picky. If you’re offering a variety of seeds and bird foods, chances are good that they’ll find something to their tastes.

"They’re sometimes called ‘campground robbers,’ ” Dale says. “They’re known to take advantage of any food available to them, and they’re famous for liking things like crackers and Cheetos."
Dale gentry
director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River

05 Della Alcorn Bbon24 — These birds are sometimes known as whiskeyjacks or camp robbers, because they’re not afraid to visit camp sites in search of food scraps.

Birds & Blooms reader Della Alcorn says, “I didn’t know Canada jays existed until we came upon one trying to steal lunch from an abandoned picnic table as we walked through the campground at Big Lagoon County Park in California. Seeing this bird was the highlight of our day!”

Look for California scrub-jays on the west coast.

Canada Jay Nesting Habits

277259611 1 Melinda Mcenany Bnb Bypc 2021 — Juvenile Canada jay

Unlike most feeder birds, these hardy corvids raise their broods between late winter and early spring. “They’re not as social as some corvids are,” Dale says. He contrasts them with crows, which often raise broods as a family unit. “There are cases of non-paired individuals associated with breeding territories of other birds that will help, but it’s not 100 percent of nests that have that setup.”

Young birds have the same rounded head shape as their parents but are darker in color, with a lighter gray mustache mark on the face.

Next, learn how to identify and attract a pinyon jay.

About the Expert

Dale Gentry has more than 25 years of experience working in conservation. He has conducted bird surveys in Minnesota forests and taught community ecology and conservation biology to graduate students. He led conservation-biology student trips to Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. In his current role, he serves as Audubon Upper Mississippi River’s Director of Conservation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Idaho State University, a master’s degree in biology from the University of South Dakota, and Ph.D. in Atmosphere, Environment and Water Resources from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Sources

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Canada Jay: Overview“
National Audubon Society, “Field Guide: Canada Jay“

Originally Published: September 11, 2024

Author

Emily Hannemann

Emily Hannemann is a digital editor for Birds & Blooms. She holds a master's degree in magazine journalism from the University of Missouri - Columbia, as well as undergraduate degrees in journalism and English. In her spare time, she enjoys researching fun facts about corvids.

Reviewer

Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman

As a teenager in the 1970s, Kenn Kaufman hitch-hiked all over North America in pursuit of birds, an adventure later chronicled in his cult-classic book Kingbird Highway. After several years as a professional nature tour leader, taking groups to all seven continents, he transitioned to a career as a writer, editor, and illustrator. His 14 books incl...

Fact Checker

Kirsten Schrader

Now Birds & Blooms' content director, Kirsten has been writing about birding and gardening for 17 years. Her writing and editing roles have spanned the print and digital landscape. Although she has traveled to see amazing birds throughout the U.S., Kirsten has one dream bucket list bird—the male painted bunting.