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Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Birds Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas |
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General Description: Steller's Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) are noisy blue birds with a black crest. The body and wings are blue, and the head, neck, and back are black, and there is a bit of a line (either white or blue) above the eyes and streaks above the bill (blue or white).
Taxonomy: Passeriformes, Corvidae. There were 16 subspecies, but now only 3 with 2 around Las Vegas:
- Rocky Mountain form (Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha) of the Southern Great Basin and Southern Rocky Mountains with white on the forehead and white eye lines (Mt. Charleston).
- Coastal form (Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri) of Pacific Coast, Cascade, and Sierra Nevada Mountains with blue on the forehead and black eye lines (or perhaps no eye lines).
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Rocky Mountain Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha);
forehead lines white; eye lines white |
Favored Habitat: Around Las Vegas, higher-elevation mountains. Uncommon in the Yellow Pine and higher life zones on Mt. Charleston.
Where to Find: Around Las Vegas, look for Interior Steller's Jays in Kyle Canyon and other higher-elevation areas on Mt. Charleston, especially in campgrounds and picnic areas where they look for food scraps. |
Coastal Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri);
forehead lines blue; eye lines black (or none) |
If you were a tasty bug or a little pine seed in Yosemite, this might be the last face you ever see! |
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Rocky Mountain Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha): forehead lines white; eye lines white
Steller's Jay; Portal, Arizona |
Interior Steller's Jay (Mt. Charleston) |
Interior Steller's Jay (Mt Charleston) |
Interior Steller's Jay (Mt Charleston) |
South Park, CO |
Steller's Jay; Portal, Arizona |
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Pacific Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri): forehead lines blue; eye lines black (or none)
Pacific Steller's Jay:
forehead lines blue; eye lines black (or none) |
Pacific Steller's Jay |
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Pacific Steller's Jay juvenile; note yellow lips (Cape Lookout, OR) |
Pacific Steller's Jay juvenile; note yellow lips (Cape Lookout, OR) |
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Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
; Last updated 240120 |
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