Facts

Seller's Jay Overview
          You can typically find a Steller's Jays stealing the bagels from your campsite, picnic area or in the mountins and forest of  the west United Sates and down through Mexico. These birds are not afraid of humans or to eat out of a bird feeder.  Steller's Jay are large chunky songbirds.
         These jays are fairly common throughout North America but they live in The Rockie Mountains, Alaska, Brittish Columbia, and parts of Mexico.

  


Identification
A nearly unmistakable dark blue, black-crested jay with variable white or blue markings on the head. The wings and tail are a vivid blue, with fine black barring. The head, including the crest; back; and throat are blackish. Juveniles are washed with brownish or grayish to the upperparts and are duller below. Cited from-http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/s/stellers-jay/ . Seller's Jay's are often mistaken for Blue Jay's.

Diet 
The Steller's Jay is an omnivore, so that meaning it will eat plants or animals. About 2/3rds of the diert is plant matter consisting of nuts, seeds, berries, and fruit. The animal portion is about 1/3 and consists of bird eggs, nestlings, invertebrates, suet, small rodents, reptiles, and carrion. They will eat any scraps humans will give them or anything they can take from your picnic or bird feeder and are a major preditor of other birds eggs.

Breeding
 Steller's Jays form long-term monogomus relationships the mates stay together year-round. They typically nest in conifer trees, and they build a cup out of twigs, leaves, moss, and weeds this is all heald together with mud. The nest will be lined with pine needles, rootlets, paper and other fine soft materials. Both mates help to build the nest and to feed the young. The femail will sit on 4-5 eggs for 16-18 days. The baby Steller's Jays leave the nest in about 16 days. A few days after fledging they begina short flights and with in 30days they leave the nest. The adult Steller's Jays will provide some food and shelter for about a month after they flege.

Discovery
Steller's Jays were discovered in Alaska in 1741 by Georg Steller he was a Russia  naturalist. When a the species was offically discribed in 1788 the scientist named the jay and a few orher animals.


The difference between a Steller's Jay and a Blue Jay

 As you can see the Blue Jay(left) and the Steller's Jay(right) have some apparent visual differences. The charcoal and dark blue plumage is in contrast to the Blue Jays white, black and multi-shaded blue plumage. Blue Jays tend to live on eastern half of the United States where as the Steller's Jay lives more on the west.















  Steller's Jay's scientific name is 
Cyanocitta srelleri

Weird facts
-Steller's Jays can mimick many animas not just other birds
-Steller's Jays and Blue Jays are the only "new world" jays that build their nests with mud



"Steller's Jay." National Geographic. 2006. Web. september 29, 2017.
"Steller's Jay." All About Birds. Web. September 28, 2017
"Steller's Jay" Bird Web. Web. September 28, 2017