Steller's Jay Movement in Pacific Northwest, 2004

This Fall there has been a pronounced movement of Steller's Jay into numerous localities across the region that usually do not have birds present. It has been generally assumed that these are birds moving attitudinally rather than from a distance, but perhaps this is an assumption that should be reassessed in the light of information available

Currently there are sixteen (16) subspecies of Steller's Jay, ranging south all the way to Nicaragua, with five (5) in the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin as follows:

The nominate Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri is a coastal bird, ranging from s. Alaska to w. Washington and nw. Oregon and is identified by its blackish gray head, crest and upper breast, often with light blue streaks on the foreheads, though some individuals have a completely black forehead; the throat is pale and streaky. There is no white either above or below the eye.
C. s. carlottae is found only on the Queen Charlotte Is. archipelago, British Columbia, and is the darkest of all the races, with jet black crest and a black to blackish gray back and mantle; there is no white patch around the eye and the throat-patch is streaky grayish.
C. s. annectens is found from interior British Columbia and sw. Alberta to e. Washington, n. Idaho, w. Montana, ne. Oregon, and nw. Wyoming (see "UPDATE" below). It is quite similar to C. s. stelleri, but has a cluster of pale-tipped feathers, forming silvery/whitish spot above eye, is slightly paler with a dark gray back, mantle, and neck contrasting with a black head and crest and light sky blue underparts.
C. s. frontalis is a bird of central Oregon south through the mountains of California. Its head, back, and crest are blackish gray with blue streaks on the forehead extending over the crown and a bluish tinge at end of long crest-feathers; there is no silver or white around the eye.
Finally, C. s. macrolopha is found in the Rocky Mtns. from s. and e. Nevada, Utah, se. Wyoming, sw. South Dakota, w. Nebraska to sw. Texas and Sierra Madre Occidental in n. Sonora and n. Chihuahua, Mexico. Its crest is black with a forehead conspicuously streaked silvery white to light sky blue; a white stripe is found over the eye and a white fleck below the eye.

RANGE UPDATE:

Above we stated that Cyanocitta stelleri annectens is found s. to northern Idaho.¹ According to Thomas D. Burleigh,² and more current field observation, this subspecies is found throughout the montane areas of southern Idaho also and is probably the only race normally resident in the state. The most telling field mark to look for, especially at this time of year when all birds of the year have finished molt into Basic I plumage (which is also similar to the Definitive Basic plumage of all adults), is a whitish area above the eye, but no white spot below the eye (this second white area would be characteristic of the Rocky Mountain race, C. s. macrolopha). Birds in Idaho or east that do not show any white in the ocular area should be also be carefully noted, because they might possibly be of the subspecies C. s. frontalis, usually found in the mountains of central Oregon south.

Needless to say, the higher than usual numbers of Steller's Jay being reported by various observers in coastal areas of Oregon and Washington, where the nominate Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri is resident should also be carefully scrutinized for recognizable field marks of subspecies from further east

Please note that Steller's Jay systematics are not clearly defined and often poorly understood, with the subspecies being clinal and known to intergrade and overlap. Browning ³ provides the most recent treatment of the systematics of the species.

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FOOTNOTES

¹ Greene, E., W. Davison, and V.R. Muehter. 1998. Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri). In The Birds of North America, No. 343 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA

² Burleigh, T.D. 1972. Birds of Idaho. Caxton Press, Caldwell, Idaho.

³ Browning, M.R. 1993. Taxonomy of the blue-crested group of Cyanocitta stelleri (Steller’s Jay) with a description of a new subspecies. Bull. Br. Ornithol. Club 113:34–41

I currently have received photos of at least three birds (below) that definitely are C. s. macrolopha, strongly suggesting a movement of birds into this area from more eastern mountains rather than just an altitudinal dispersion. It would be very instructive to have further documentation (photos and/or descriptions) relating to the birds that are currently being seen in the region(s). To see further numbers and reports of this species as winter 2004 / 2005 progresses, view the REPORTS page on IdahoBirds.net.

	C.s. macrolopha, October 24, 2004 Genesee, Latah County, Idaho Photo © 2004 Terry Gray
	C.s. macrolopha, November 2004 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington Photo © 2004 Michael Woodruff
	C.s. macrolopha, October 2004 Garden Valley, Boise Valley, Idaho Photo © 2004 Sheri Foote

All data compiled and maintained by Harry Krueger. Please notify your local listserv or Harry about Steller's Jays you encounter anywhere in the West this winter.