Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii) is in the Crows, Jays, and Magpies family (Corvidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 13,946 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in April.

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 Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay: observations by month (U.S.)

About Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

Woodhouse's scrub jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii), is a species of scrub jay native to western North America. It ranges from southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho to central Mexico. It comprises two distinct subspecies groups. They are Woodhouse's scrub jay (interior US and northern Mexico), and Sumichrast's scrub jay (interior southern Mexico). Woodhouse's scrub jay was once lumped with the California scrub jay and the island scrub jay and collectively called the western scrub jay. It was alsoFrom Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Woodhouse's Scrub-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

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