Woodhouse's scrub jay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Woodhouse's scrub jay
Scientific classification
Genus:	Aphelocoma
Species:	woodhouseii
Subspecies
See text

The Woodhouse's scrub jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii) is a smart bird found in western North America. You can see them from southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho all the way down to central Mexico. These birds do not migrate, meaning they stay in the same area all year.

You might even spot a Woodhouse's scrub jay in your neighborhood! They can become quite friendly and might visit bird feeders. Many people call them "blue jays," but the blue jay is actually a different type of bird. This scrub jay is named after Samuel Washington Woodhouse, an American explorer and naturalist.

What Does a Woodhouse's Scrub Jay Look Like?

Woodhouse's scrub jays are medium-sized birds. They are about 27 to 31 centimeters (11 to 12 inches) long, including their tail. Their wingspan is around 39 centimeters (15 inches), and they weigh about 80 grams (2.8 ounces).

Birds living near the Pacific coast often have brighter colors. However, all Woodhouse's scrub jays have blue, white, and gray feathers. Their head, wings, and tail are blue. Their back is gray-brown, and their belly is grayish. They have a whitish throat with a blue "necklace" pattern. When they call, it sounds "harsh and scratchy."

Where Do Woodhouse's Scrub Jays Live?

These birds love areas with low, bushy plants, which is why they are called "scrub jays." They prefer forests with pinon and juniper trees, oak woods, and the edges of mixed evergreen forests. Sometimes, they live in mesquite groves too. You can find them commonly west of the Rocky Mountains in scrub-brush, boreal forests, and temperate forests.

How Do Woodhouse's Scrub Jays Find Food?

Woodhouse's scrub jays usually look for food in pairs or small family groups. They eat small animals like frogs and lizards. They also eat the eggs and young of other birds, insects, and in winter, they especially enjoy grains, nuts, and berries. These jays can be quite aggressive towards other birds. For example, they have been known to steal acorns that acorn woodpeckers have stored away.

How Do Woodhouse's Scrub Jays Store Food?

Like many other birds in the crow family (called corvids), Woodhouse's scrub jays hide food when there is a lot of it. They bury food in many different spots within their home area. They use their amazing memory to find these hidden stashes later, even after a long time. They can even plan ahead, choosing good spots to make sure they have enough food for the future.

These jays are also very good at watching other jays hide food and then stealing it! To protect their own hidden food, they try to hide it where other birds can't see them. They might even re-hide food if they realize someone was watching. Woodhouse's scrub jays are also known for burying shiny objects. They can be a bit mischievous and will steal from other animals. They have been seen taking acorns from acorn woodpeckers and seeds from Clark's nutcrackers.

Sometimes, Woodhouse's scrub jays land on the backs of mule deer. They eat ticks and other tiny bugs that live on the deer. The deer seem to like this help and often stand still, even holding up their ears to make it easier for the jays. These jays can even be brave enough to eat peanuts right from a human's hand!

How Smart Are Woodhouse's Scrub Jays?

Recent studies show that Woodhouse's scrub jays are among the smartest animals. Their brain size compared to their body size is similar to that of chimpanzees and dolphins. Only humans have a larger brain-to-body ratio.

Scrub jays are also the only non-primate or non-dolphin animals shown to plan for the future. This was once thought to be a skill only humans had. Other studies found that they can remember where they hid over 200 food stashes. They also remember what food is in each stash and how quickly it might spoil. To keep other jays from stealing their food, they hide it in places out of sight. They might even re-hide food when they are alone. This suggests they can understand what others might be thinking.

Nesting and Life Cycle

Baby scrub jays are born completely gray. As they grow, they turn more blue. Young chicks often have a red crest on their heads, like a chicken's comb. This crest disappears around seven days old.

Nests are built low in trees or bushes, usually 1 to 10 meters (3 to 33 feet) above the ground. The female bird does most of the building, while the male guards her. The nests are strong, about 33 to 58 centimeters (13 to 23 inches) wide. They are made of twigs with moss and dry grasses, lined with fine roots and hair.

Females lay four to six eggs between March and July, depending on the area. The eggs come in two main colors: pale green with olive spots, or pale grayish-white to green with reddish-brown spots. The female sits on the eggs for about 16 days. The young birds leave the nest about 18 days after they hatch.

How Long Do Woodhouse's Scrub Jays Live?

In the wild, Woodhouse's scrub jays usually live for about 9 years.

Health Concerns for Woodhouse's Scrub Jays

The West Nile virus has been affecting populations of Woodhouse's scrub jays. This virus can make them sick.

Different Types of Woodhouse's Scrub Jays

The Woodhouse's, California, island, and Florida scrub jays were once thought to be the same species. Now, scientists believe they are all different species. It has been hard to figure out their exact family tree. However, there are two main groups: one lives west of the Rocky Mountains and one lives east.

The Woodhouse's scrub jay looks different from the California scrub jay. Woodhouse's jays are a paler blue on top and have a faint, often broken, blue band across their chest. California scrub jays are a darker blue on top and have a clear blue chest band.

A group of Woodhouse's scrub jays living in southern Mexico is sometimes called Sumichrast's scrub jay.

Here are some of the different types (subspecies) of Woodhouse's scrub jays:

Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma (woodhouseii) woodhouseii

• Aphelocoma woodhouseii nevadae – Nevada scrub jay
  • Found in the Great Basin from northern Nevada south, and in some mountain ranges in Death Valley and the Mojave Desert. They live from eastern California to southwestern New Mexico, and south into northeastern Sonora and northwestern Chihuahua.
  • These birds are lighter and duller than the main Woodhouse's scrub jay. They have light blue feathers under their tail. Their beak is long, pointed, and not very hooked.

• Aphelocoma woodhouseii woodhouseii – Woodhouse's scrub jay
  • Lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, from northern Utah and southern Wyoming south through northwestern Chihuahua and western Texas.
  • The blue on their neck has a dull grayish color, and their back is grayish-brown. The feathers under their tail are blue. They have a strong, straight beak that is hardly hooked.

• Aphelocoma woodhouseii texana – Texas scrub jay
  • Only known from the Edwards Plateau in Texas.
  • These jays are darker than the main Woodhouse's scrub jay and have a hint of a blue collar on their chest. Their lower chest is brownish, and they have a large white patch on their lower belly. The feathers under their tail are white, but adult males often have some blue tips. Their back is quite brown. Young birds are much paler than the main Woodhouse's scrub jay. They have a heavy, fairly blunt beak.

• Aphelocoma woodhouseii grisea
  • Found in the Sierra Madre Occidental, mainly in Chihuahua.
  • Lighter and larger than the main Woodhouse's scrub jay, with a hint of a blue collar. The feathers under their tail are white. They have long wings and a fairly short, heavy beak.

• Aphelocoma woodhouseii cyanotis – Blue-eared scrub jay
  • Lives in the lower Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico, from southern Coahuila to Tlaxcala.
  • These jays are larger and duller than the main Woodhouse's scrub jay. Their back is brown with a blue tint, sometimes quite bluish. They have a faint, small white stripe above their eye. Their underside is quite light, with a white lower belly. The feathers under their tail are dull white. Young birds are browner than the Texas scrub jay.

Sumichrast's Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma (woodhousei) sumichrasti

• Aphelocoma woodhousei/sumichrasti sumichrasti – Sumichrast's scrub jay
  • Found from Distrito Federal southeast through Veracruz, Puebla, and Oaxaca.
  • They have bright blue heads with blackish patches around their ears. They have a faint white stripe above their eye. Their back is grayish-brown, turning blue towards the tail. They have light gray streaks on their throat and traces of a faint grayish or grayish-blue chest collar. Their thighs are smoky gray. Their flight feathers and tail feathers are dark dull blue. These are large birds with very long wings and a heavy, slightly hooked beak.

• Aphelocoma woodhouseii/sumichrasti remota – Chilpancingo scrub jay
  • Lives in southwestern Oaxaca and central Guerrero.
  • These jays are duller and lighter than the Sumichrast's scrub jay. They are the largest of all western scrub jays.

The common name of this subspecies honors the Mexican naturalist Francis Sumichrast.

Images for kids

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  A Woodhouse's scrub jay perched on a branch.

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  Map showing the range of the Woodhouse's scrub jay.