How to Identify aCalifornia Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma californica · 11–12 in (28–30 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Rich blue head, wings and tail, gray-brown back patch, white underparts and a partial blue necklace. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical to the male in the field.
Male photo: Becky Matsubara from El Sobrante, California / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0 · Second photo: Tyler Karaszewski from Santa Cruz, CA, USA / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0
Field marks
- No crest — a smoothly rounded head
- Gray-brown saddle between blue wings and blue head
- White throat set off by a broken blue necklace
- Long tail, often flicked while perched
Similar species
What it sounds like
A harsh rising "shreep?" and a rapid scolding series, often delivered from a rooftop or fence.
Behaviour that gives it away
Buries acorns individually and remembers thousands of sites, and will re-hide a nut if it notices another jay watching.
Habitat & range
Oak woodland, chaparral, suburban gardens and parks along the West Coast and interior California.
When you'll see it
Present all year in western North America.
What it eats
Acorns, insects, seeds, fruit, eggs and nestlings.
Did you know?
If it sees another jay watching it bury a nut, it will come back later and move the nut somewhere else.
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