Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) is in the Crows, Jays, and Magpies family (Corvidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 49,710 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in July.

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

When to photograph Steller's Jay: observations by month (U.S.)

About Steller's Jay

The Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the blue jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and pine jay. It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains.From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Steller's 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

Black-billed MagpiePica hudsonia

Woodhouse's Scrub-JayAphelocoma woodhouseii

Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis

Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus

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