Pinyon Jay

Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) is in the Crows, Jays, and Magpies family (Corvidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 2,233 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in September.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: seasonal. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

Conservation status (iNaturalist): VU.

When to photograph Pinyon Jay: observations by month (U.S.)

About Pinyon Jay

The pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), historically known as the blue crow or Maximilian's jay, is a jay between the North American blue jay and the Eurasian jay in size. It is the only member of the genus Gymnorhinus, (monotypic). Its overall proportions are very nutcracker-like and indeed this can be seen as convergent evolution as both birds fill similar ecological niches. The pinyon jay is a bluish-grey coloured bird with deeper head colouring and whitish throat...From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Pinyon Jay by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (Crows, Jays, and Magpies)

Blue JayCyanocitta cristata

American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos

Common RavenCorvus corax

California Scrub-JayAphelocoma californica

Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri

Black-billed MagpiePica hudsonia

Woodhouse's Scrub-JayAphelocoma woodhouseii

Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis

Photography tips

• Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
• Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
• Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
• Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ