474 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
General Habits. —The eastern Blue Jay is similar to the western. 
Long-crested in figure, voice, and general habits, but its short crest, 
bright color, and white markings are quite distinctive. 
Additional Literature.—Chapman, F. M., Camps and Cruises of an Ornithol¬ 
ogist, 5-14, 1908 (nesting).— Dutcher, William, Educational Leaflet 22, Nat. 
Assoc. Audubon Soc.— Miller, O. T., A Bird Lover in the West, 126-153,1894. 
LONG-CRESTED JAY: Cyanocitta stelleri diademata (Bonaparte) 
Plate 47 
Description. — Length: About 11.7-13.7 inches, wing 5.6-G.4, tail 5.2-G.2, bill 
1-1.1, wings and tail rounded. Adults: High black crest strongly contrasted with 
sooty gray (nearly mouse-grav) of back and scapulars; streak over eye while, and fore¬ 
head conspicuously streaked with bluish white; wings and tail blue, barred with black; 
rump and widerparts light blue. Young: Similar, but duller, plumage without blue 
except for a tinge on the side of the rump, no white about eyes; wings and tail often 
without distinct black bars, rump and underparts ash-gray. 
Range. —Apparently resident in the Canadian and Transition Zones of the 
southern Rocky Mountains from northeastern Utah, northern Colorado, and central 
western Texas south to Zacatecas and Jalisco. Accidental in Quebec. 
State Records. —When Doctor Kennerly crossed New Mexico in 1853, at a 
place 100 miles west of Albuquerque on November 17, he secured a specimen of the 
Long-crested Jay, which Baird used as the type of his Cyanocitta macrolopha. Later 
it was ascertained that the subspecies had been previously described by Bonaparte 
under the name diademata. Baird’s macrolopha was therefore replaced by diademata, 
but its English equivalent was still retained for the common name. 
The species breeds throughout the mountains of New Mexico east to Halls Peak 
(Barber); Mesa Yegua (Bailey); Capitan Mountains (Gaut); and Guadalupe Moun¬ 
tains (Fuertes). [It breeds down to 7,000 feet in the Black Range; was abundant in 
yellow pines in the Animas Mountains, May 8, 1920 (Ligon) ]; seen at about 7,500 
feet at Mesa Yegua (Bailey); in the Pinos Altos Mountains (Fisher); and up to at 
least 9,000 feet, with the larger part probably not nesting above 8,500 feet. The 
upper limit of the actual nesting range is difficult to ascertain because as soon as the 
young are old enough to travel, both old and young roam over the mountains and 
ascend occasionally as high as 10,700 feet on Lake Fork in the Taos Mountains, to an 
equal altitude in the Culebra Mountains, and to 11,000 feet on Jack Creek on Pecos 
Baldy (Bailey). A nest with one egg was found April 26, 1913, at 8,000 feet in the 
mountains near the Middle Gila River in Socorro County (Ligon). [A nest with 
eggs was found May 11, 1919, in Apache Canyon 20 miles southeast of Santa Fe, and 
a nest with fresh eggs, April 30, 1922, in Santa Fe Canyon (Jensen). Nests with 
fresh eggs are found about May 1, over most of its range (1918), but one nest with 
4 fresh eggs was found June 8, 1920, 8 miles northwest of Chloride on Mineral Creek 
(Ligon); and well grown young out of the nest were seen at Lake Burford June 16, 
1918, where the species was common (Wetmore).] Young nearly grown were noted 
July 16, 1903, at 8,000 feet on the Pecos (Bailey). 
During the winter, the species descends into the valleys even to 4,000 feet on the 
Rio Grande at Fort Thorn (Henry); while it also remains on the lower slopes of the 
mountains up at least to 8,000 feet. In the Guadalupe Mountains it was abundant 
above 5,500 feet in January, 1915 (Willett), and it was taken at Silver City, 5,800 
feet altitude, January 25, 1914 (Kellogg).—W. W. Cooke. 
