Steller's Jay

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STELLER'S JAY BY JAELLE CHAMBERS FORAGING & FEEDING • The Steller's Jay eats nuts, seeds, berries, acorns, small invertebrates, insects, nestlings, and bird eggs. • Forages in the trees or the ground CLASSIFICATION & TAXONOMY • The Steller Jay's bird family includes jays and crows, the Corvidae, including 126 species in 24 genera found on all continents except Antarctica. • Species: C. stelleri • Genus: Cyanocitta • Order: Passeriformes • Class: Aves • Phylum: Chordata • Kingdom: Animalia IDENTIFICATION • Call - Shaack shaack shaack, shooka shooka • Size - Medium sized, (9-16in) Weight: 128g (4.5oz) • Similar Species - Blue Jay, Gray Jay • Field Marks - Wings and tail are blue with black bars, as well as white "eyebrows." It's head has a unique feather mass which can be plain, crested, spiked, or plumed. Genders are similar. REPRODUCTION • Number of eggs are 2-6 • Eggs are pale blue with brown flecks • Incubation days are 16-18 • The nesting type is usually a conifer • Mates usually remain with each other year-round, both of them help build the nest and feed their young. • The nest is made up of pine needles, mud, grass, twigs, moss, and leaves. ADAPTATIONS • Adaptations - Steller's Jays move around with hops both on the ground and in the trees. They often stop to quickly check their surroundings for predators and/or food. Jays have enhanced spatial memories. They also store extra food in their caches, while also raiding other birds' caches. It can also mimic other calls. NICHE/JOB • Niche/Job - The Steller's Jay keeps the insect/bug population under control by eating off insects or bugs like mosquitos, worms, or flies. • It also, while in the process of storing food in it's cache, drops berries, seeds, or nuts. These will, over time, grow into plants. RANGE & HABITAT • Nonmigratory, lives heavily in coastal southern Alaska and the Rocky Mountains, all the way to Central America. • It's preferable habitat is in rich forests of conifers, using the trees for food (seeds, nuts, and acorns), nesting places, and scouting. They will also use pine needles for the construction of their nests. WEBSITES USED IN THIS PRESENTATION • www.whatbird.com • allaboutbirds.org • wikipedia.org • birdweb.org • www.birdspix.com • www.sandiegouniontribune.com • fineartamerica.com • www.ownbyphotography.com • www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org • fraservalley.wbu.com • birdfotos.com • www.kidzone.ws • trailmob.com • photographylife.org • crysaltrulove.wordpress.com • www.huffingtonpost.com • www.birdingimformation.com.

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Magpie Jay General Information and Care
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Laufenberg, D. and C. Woodward. 2010
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