Gray Jay

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Gray Jay
Even though Gray Jays tend to be birds of remote wilderness areas, they have gained notoriety as bold and curious "camp robbers". Attracted by novel sounds or even wood smoke, they will brashly enter camp buildings and tents and snatch food out of cooking utensils or from plates. They are said to eat almost anything, from candles and soap to a plug of tobacco. When not robbing north-woodsmen, they are, like most corvids, omnivorous. During spring, summer and fall, insects make up a large portion of their diet, including grasshoppers, caterpillars, bees, wasps and beetles. They sometimes sally from a perch to catch flying insects like a flycatcher. At other times, they eat carrion, small rodents, young birds, eggs, berries and fruit. In times of scarcity, they have been observed to eat lichens.

Nest construction begins as early as March, while snow may still lie deep in the northern forests. A nest of sticks, moss and lichens lined with feathers, fur and plant down is constructed in a conifer tree over a period of about three weeks. The female incubates 3 to 4 eggs while being tended by the male. Both parents feed the nestlings, at first with partially digested food. During the nesting season, Gray Jays are quiet and secretive. Once fledged, the young remain with their parents in a family group.

The sounds produced by Gray Jays are varied. Some shrill calls sound like the calls of Red-tailed, Red-shouldered or Broad-winged Hawks. Others calls are reminiscent of a Robin's clucking or the "ca, ca, ca, ca..." call of an American Kestrel. Other sounds often heard are soft, short and mellow whistles.

Gray Jays are usually permanent residents throughout their range, which extends from north central Alaska to northern Labrador and Newfoundland, and south to northern New York and New England in the East. In the West, the range extends through the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico, central Arizona, and northern California. In the Rockies, they tend to be found at high altitudes, from about 8,000 or 9,000 feet to timberline in Colorado and higher in the Southwest. In times of extreme food scarcity there may be irruptions beyond the normal range and occasional altitudinal movements in mountainous areas.
Gray Jay Range Map

Description: Gray Jays have short black bills and lack crests. They have dark, smoky-gray upperparts, hoods that extend to the top of the crown in most populations, and white forecrowns and throats. The white of the throat extends to the side of the head and below the crown as a whitish collar. The breast and belly vary from whitish to light gray. The wings are relatively short and the tail is long and somewhat rounded. The flight feathers of most populations are tipped with white.

There is a high degree of geographical variation in plumage. Gray Jays from eastern Canada tend to be darker overall with a darker crown that reaches nearly to the forehead. Those of the Rocky Mountains are paler, with the dark crown restricted to the nape so that the head is largely white. Birds of the Pacific Coast have dark upperparts, lack white tips on the flight feathers, and have extensive black on the head that contrasts with the light underparts.

Adult Gray Jays are unmistakable, but the juvenile plumage, which is held until around August of the first year, can be quite confusing. Some early authors even described the juveniles as a different species. Juvenile Gray Jays are dark slate all over with a whitish malar stripe that extends downward from their pale, gray bill. They lack the white foreheads and throats and pale underparts of the adults.

The Gray Jay and its close relative the Siberian Jay (P. infaustus) possess an adaptation unique among corvids: special mucous-secreting glands in the side of the beak. These jays use their very sticky saliva to glue together clumps of berries and other food, which they then stick to branches or crotches of trees, or hide in bark crevices, woodpecker excavations, or snags. In times of severe winter weather, the jays return to these caches for the stored food.

Visit Shaw Creek Bird Supply to see our selection of Gray Jay Feeders.