Western Scrub-Jay
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Genus: Aphelocoma
Species: Aphelocoma californica
As a member of the Corvid family, the Western Scrub-Jay is one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. This species does not migrate but rather changes its food source from fruit and insects to seeds and nuts during the winter. It even stores stashes of acorns to save for later and is therefore beneficial to the ecosystem as the buried acorns often sprout and replenish the forest. Not only can the Western Scrub-Jay remember the locations of many caches at once, but it can also remember its rate of decay. These birds have 1 to 5 chicks a year, and they can live to be older than 15 years in the wild. According to the University of California, Davis, when a Scrub-Jay comes upon the body of another Scrub-Jay, it screeches to call out others of its kind, and they have a “funeral” that can last for up to half an hour.
Conservation status: Least concern
Description: Dusty-blue plumage above; grey on the center of its back and on its chest; white throat; dark grey plumage around the eye; white streak over the eye
Length: 11-12 inches
Wingspan: 15-16 inches
Diet: Insects and fruit during the summer; nuts and seeds during the winter
Habitat: Open woodlands and parks
Season: All year
Credit source: The National Wildlife Federation
