MAGPIES, JAYS, CROWS: PINYON JAY 
497 
PINYON JAY: Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus (Wied) 
Plate 51 
Description. — Length: About 10-11.7 inches, wing 5.7-6, tail 4.8. Nostrils 
small, entirely exposed; tail nearly square, much shorter than wings. Adult male: 
Dull grayish blue, deepening on head to purplish blue, paler on posterior underparts; 
throat and chest broadly streaked with grayish white. Adult female: Similar, but 
averaging smaller and usually duller, bluish gray rather than grayish blue. Young: 
Like female but still duller, blue only on wings and tail. 
Range. —Mainly in Upper Sonoran Zone, in the pinyon and juniper belt, prac¬ 
tically resident and breeds from southern Washington and Montana south to western 
Nebraska, central-western Texas, southern New Mexico, Arizona, and northern 
Lower California; wanders in fall and winter. 
State Records. —In southern Colorado the Pinyon Jay breeds up to an altitude 
of 9,000 feet, and it may do so in New Mexico, but all data at hand seem to indicate a 
breeding range little if any above 7,800 feet and confined largely to the small pines 
from which it derives its common name and the seeds of which form its principal 
food during a large part of the year. It probably breeds not far from Santa Rosa 
where old and young were seen in flocks June 5-6, 1903, and continued to be common 
east to Montoya the last of the month (Bailey). [On June 10, 1924, considerable 
numbers were found among the short cedar canyons that cut out the rim of the 
Staked Plains about 30 miles southeast of Tueumcari (Ligon).') It probably breeds 
near Fort Wingate where it was common June 18-29, 1905 (Hollister); and it was 
found breeding on the San Mateo and Cila River Forest Reserves in 1913 (Ligon). 
[It was common on the Pinyon Flats in northern Santa Fe County (1918-1922, 
Jensen). At Lake Burford, June 14, 1918, about 100 appeared, a considerable 
number of them, young of the year (Wetmore). In Hidalgo County, May 7, 1920, 
20 were seen in San Luis Pass (Ligon).] July 8-30, 1913, old and young were found 
together all the way between Santa Rosa and Lake Burford. 
In the fall, near Koehler Junction, they were very abundant in the foothills, 
especially in September and October, 1913 (Kalmbach). At this season they are 
among the commonest birds in the mountains of the southern half of the State, going 
about in large flocks. They were taken at Silver City, August 23, 1914 (Kellogg); 
and range east to Sierra Grande, August 17, 1903 (Howell); to the White Mountains 
and the Sacramento Mountains September 2-18, 1902 (Hollister); and even out on 
the plains north of Fort Sumner September 26, 1902 (Gaut); a few were noted in the 
Guadalupe Mountains in August, 1901 (Bailey); and they are said to occur occasion¬ 
ally in the vicinity of Carlsbad during migrations (Willett). They occur almost to 
the southern boundary of the State in the southwestern part since they were found 
abundant at Deming August 30, 1908, and flocks of 50-100 birds were ranging from 
5,200 feet to the summit of the Florida Mountains September 6-S, 1908 (Goldman). 
But while thus abundant in the fall at these lower altitudes, some individuals at this 
season ascend high into the mountains. On August 12, 1903, a flock of 6 to 8 was 
found at timberline, 12,300 feet, on Truchas Peak (Surber); and August 18-25, 1904, 
they were found on the Culebra Mountains up to 10,700 feet (Bailey). 
During the winter they wander over most of the lower mountain slopes of the 
State and remain at least as high as 8,000 feet, at which altitude in Hondo Canyon 
both male and female were collected January 9, 1904 (Surber). In the Guadalupe 
Mountains they were abundant above 5,500 feet January, 1915, and were reported 
to have come late in July, 1914 (Willett). In Union County, two large flocks were 
seen November 5, 1915; near the Continental Divide, 12 miles west of Fair View at 
8,000 feet, many were seen December 19,1915; and they were found rather abundant 
from there to Springerville, Arizona, during the month. [On January 6, 1920, at 
