PINON JAY ' 397 



PiNON Jay. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus (Maximilian) 



Field characters. — One-third larger than Eobin. Tail shorter than body. Coloration 

 entirely pale blue; lighter, grayish blue, on under surface. No white markings any- 

 ^Yhere, and no crest. Voice: A high-pitched, querulous, nasal Tcd'-c, with descending 

 inflection, given singly, or repeated in series. 



Occurrence. — Common in the arid region east of the Sierra Nevada. Observed around 

 Williams Butte and Mono Craters, September 16 to 22, 1915, and near Sand Flat, June 7, 

 1916. Ranges at times widely beyond nesting area, as instanced by flock seen over 

 Indian Canon above Yosemite Valley, October 11, 1914. Frequents sparse forest or 

 open country; roves about in flocks of varying size. 



The Piiion Jay is altogether different in many respects from all the 

 other members of its family found in the Yosemite region. Structurally 

 it differs from both the flat-headed (California and Woodhouse) and 

 crested (Blue-fronted) jays in possessing a longer and more slender bill, 

 smaller head, longer wings, and shorter tail, while its coloration is much 

 paler blue and more uniform. This bird lacks entirely the white markings 

 that render the Clark Nutcracker so conspicuous. In mode of life the 

 Pinon Jay exhibits strong sociable proclivities at all times of the year, 

 traveling about in large flocks during the fall months and even assembling 

 in companies of moderate size to forage during nesting time. It is also 

 a habitual wanderer, and ranges widely both within and beyond its normal 

 habitat, the piiion belt of the arid Great Basin. 



In behavior the Piiion Jay is quite the opposite of the California Jay, 

 for it is calm and deliberate in movement rather than excitable and 

 fidgety. The former is dignified and slow to arouse. We have been aston- 

 ished, on occasion, by the seeming indifference displayed by Piiion Jays 

 even when one of their number had met with violence. 



As is suggested by its name, the Pifion Jay is a close associate of the 

 one-leafed nut pine or pifion. This tree, in the Yosemite region, is to be 

 found in numbers only in the vicinity of Williams Butte and Mono Lake. 

 When we visited that section in the fall of 1915 Piiion Jays were encoun- 

 tered almost daily. On September 16 a large flock was seen feeding in 

 the pinons on Williams Butte. The birds were calling back and forth 

 among themselves in high-pitched, querulous tones of voice, giving one 

 the impression that separate conversations were going on among many 

 individuals. Next day near the same place a flock numbering between 

 30 and 40 birds swooped past one of our party with a loud swish of wings 

 and came to rest momentarily in some sagebrush and Kunzia fully a mile 

 from any real trees. Other bands were seen up until September 22, when 

 we quitted the neighborhood of Mono Lake for the season. On October 11, 

 1914, a vagrant band of four of these birds was seen and others were heard, 

 passing over the upper reaches of Indian Cafion above Yosemite Valley. 



