OREGON JAY 29 



Ralph Hoffmann (1927) thus describes the behavior of these jays about 

 a camp : "A bird * * * flits noiselessly out of the forest and starts to 

 investigate tlie camp. With a soft whce-oo another follows, flying to the 

 ground, hopping about or carrying back a scrap of refuse to a limb. A 

 flock keeps constantly drifting on through the trees, flying now to the 

 ground, then to a branch or even clinging to the side of a tree trunk. 

 The soft, fluffy plumage gives the bird a gentle look in keeping with its 

 fearlessness and soft voice. Let a hawk appear, however, and the 

 Oregon Jays will mob him with loud screaming cries, ke-wcep, ke-weep." 



Field marks. — The Oregon jay is not likely to be confused with any 

 other bird within its habitat, as its range does not overlap that of the 

 Rocky Mountain jay. It is about the size of a robin; it has a white 

 forehead, a white collar around the hind neck, a whitish breast, and a 

 brownish back; the crown and back of the head are blackish. Its soft, 

 fluffy plumage and its confiding habits are also distinctive. At close 

 range the whitish shaft streaks on the back may be seen. 



Fall. — Mr. Rathbun tells me that "this jay is resident throughout the 

 entire region but is found more commonly in the higher altitudes from 

 early in spring until late in fall, after which period many individuals come 

 to the lowlands, and here the species will be often met with during the 

 winter months. This movement from the mountain regions begins about 

 the middle of October, and from that time on Oregon jays will be met 

 with from time to time in nearly any part of the region." 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — The Northwest, from southern British Columbia south to 

 central California; nonmigratory. 



The range of the Oregon jay extends north to southern British 

 Columbia (Delia Lake, JNIalaspina Inlet, Alta Lake, and Lillooet). East 

 to south-central British Columbia (Lillooet, Hope, and Chilliwack) ; 

 Washington (Mount Baker, Kacheos Lake, and Bumping Lake) ; 

 Oregon (Mount Hood, Crater Lake, and Lakeview) ; eastern California 

 (Fort Bidwell, Warner Mountains, and Summit) ; and west-central 

 Nevada (Glenbrook). South to central Nevada (Glenbrook) ; and 

 northern California (Summit and Mendocino). West to western Cali- 

 fornia (Mendocino, Cape Mendocino, and Orick) ; western Oregon 

 (Applegate River, Sweet Home, and Beaverton) ; western Washington 

 (Camas, Grays Harbor, Quinault Lake, and Lake Crescent) ; and south- 

 western British Columbia (Victoria, Mount Douglas, and Delia Lake). 



The range as outlined is for the entire species, which has been separated 

 into two subspecies. The typical Oregon jay (Perisoreus obscurus 



