Bird Species Profile: Steller’s Jay
Updated: Apr. 24, 2020The Steller's Jay is a beautiful bird species that lives in the mountainous areas of the Western US and Canada as well as in Central America.
I tend to have a bit of a biased towards picking species from the Eastern US since that is where I live and have the best photos from, so I decided to head west this time and pick one of my favorite bird species from the mountains of the western US, the Steller’s Jay.
In the US, there are two forms of Steller’s Jay that look just a little different from each other. The coastal form has a totally black head, but the interior form has some white on the head near the bill and above the eye. Once you reach the right elevation (mostly above 3,000 ft) this species becomes rather common. They are attracted to campgrounds and picnic areas in the mountains and will take whatever food might be left out!
Not only can this species be found in the US and Canada, its range extends all the way down to northwestern Nicaragua. I always find it fascinating to see a species that I am very familiar with in the US living in more tropical climates.
This jay also has a LOT of personality which makes it a very fun species to photograph!
