222 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



Woodhouse's Jay is one of the crestless Jays 

 of the Rocky Mountain region and in that re- 

 spect resembles the perhaps even better known 

 California Jay. It has, however, plenty of indi- 

 viduality, all its own, and also plenty to say, 

 though it is probably less loquacious and withal 

 less assertive than its eastern cousin, the Blue 

 Jay. The common note is a strident scream 

 which has what one observer calls a " wiry " 

 quality that is distinctive. This is the charac- 

 teristic cry of surprise or anger or alarm, but 

 this Jay has also a variety of other notes includ- 

 ing chuckle's, gurgles, and ch-atters, uttered chiefly 

 when a number of the birds are together and 

 undisturbed. Much of this conversation sounds 

 decidedly like that of the Blue Jays, and likely 

 enough is about the same general topics. The 

 language of courtship, addressed by the male to 

 his lady-love when he has enticed her into 

 dense foliage, is as soft and insinuating as any 

 Dove's. 



This Jay's preferred habitat is the open hill- 

 sides, or scrub-oak and other hardwood timber, 

 which it seems everywhere to prefer to pine 

 woods. Its food is varied, but acorns form a 

 good part of it, and these the bird, true to the 

 thieving propensities of his family, does not hesi- 

 tate to steal from the store laid awav in the 



bark of trees by the California Woodpeckers. 

 The flight of the bird is steady when considerable 

 distances are being traversed, but shorter move- 

 ments among trees or in the brush are likely to 

 be covered by combined flapping and sailing. 

 Like most other members of their family, these 

 Jays gather in winter in flocks, and become rest- 

 less, timid, and decidedly noisy upon little or no 

 provocation. 



Pine nuts are an especially favorite item of 

 food of Woodhouse's Jay, but his habits and 

 general diet vary little from those of the Cali- 

 fornia Jay. 



Southwestern Texas boasts two species of 

 Jays which are very similar to Woodhouse's Jay. 

 The Blue-eared Jay or Blue-cheeked Jay (Aphe- 

 locoma cyanotis) has a longer wing than Wood- 

 house's ; it is white on the posterior under parts 

 and its back is more frequently tinged with blue, 

 being sometimes almost a uniform blue. The 

 other species bears the name of the State — 

 Texas (Aphclocoma tcxana). It is similar in 

 the coloration of its upper parts to \\'oodhouse's 

 Jay (maybe a little pale-r and less of a blue-gray) 

 but the white line over the eyes is more de- 

 veloped ; the under parts are much paler, the 

 chest being devoid of distinct blue streaks and 

 the breast being pale grayish-brown. 



CALIFORNIA JAY 

 Aphelocoma californica californica (Vigors) 



A. O. V. Number 481 



General Description. — Length, 12 inches. Upper 

 parts, blue and brownish-gray ; under parts, white. 

 Head, not crested. 



Color. — Adults ; Entire crown, hindneck and sides 

 of neck, uniform dull cobalt-blue; sides of head similar 

 but darker ; back, brownish mouse-gray ; shoulders and 

 rump, more bluish-gray, wings, tail, and upper tail- 

 coverts, rather dull azure-blue ; chin, throat, and center 

 portion of chest, white, the last streaked with blue; 

 sides of chest, uniform blue; breast, very pale drab-gray 

 fading into dull white on other under parts ; the anal 

 region and shorter under tail-coverts pure white ; iris, 

 brown. Young: Crown, hindneck, and sides of head, 

 sides of chest, rump, and upper tail-coverts, uniform 

 mouse-gray, the crown slightly more bluish-gray ; back, 

 shoulders and lesser wing-coverts, deep drab-gray, a 



broad space behind ear and eye narrowly streaked with 

 dusky gray ; anterior portion of cheek region, chin, 

 throat, center portion of chest, and under parts, white. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: Placed in low bushes, scrub 

 oaks, dense chaparral, usually low, soinetitnes in trees 

 30 feet up ; a bulky structure, exteriorly made of in- 

 terwoven twigs, grass, and moss, containing an inner 

 lining of fine rootlets and horse-hair. Eggs: 3 to 6, 

 usually 4, dark green or buffy of varying shades, 

 thickly spotted and blotched with burnt umber, chest- 

 nut, sepia, or lavender. 



Distribution. — Pacific coast district of United 

 States ( north of San Fernando, San Gabriel, and San 

 f5ernardino mountains), north to southwestern Wash- 

 ington, east to, and including, eastern slope of Sierra 

 Nevada and Cascade ranges. 



The Jays are one branch of the Corz'idcr or 

 Crow family, but, in contrast to the Crows, the 

 Jays are of bright and varied colors, generally 

 blue, and often the head is crested. The Jay is 



a well-known character everywhere, but has a 

 shady reputation. 



The California Jay is very different from the 

 deep blue, long-crested Steller Jay, but resembles 



