Animalia Life
Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
SUBFAMILY
Corvinae
TAXONOMY
Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus Wied, 1841, Montana. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Geai des pinиdes; German: Nacktschnabelhдher;
Spanish: Chara piсonera.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
9.75–10.92 in (25–28 cm); 3.6 oz (103 g). Uniform dull blue
plumage is darkest on head, brightest on breast, crown, and
forehead, and palest on rump. Throat is whitish. Relatively
fine, sharply pointed bill is blackish, as are the legs and feet.
DISTRIBUTION
West-central United States. Central Oregon east to South
Dakota; may be found as far south as Baja, California, to western
Oklahoma.
HABITAT
Dry mountain slopes of pinyon, juniper, and yellow pine.
BEHAVIOR
Highly gregarious, usually in large flocks, numbering up to 250
individuals. Flight is direct, accompanied by mewing calls.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Heavily dependent on conifer seeds. Will forage widely for
invertebrates and other seeds, often visiting backyards.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Cooperative breeder with young adults feeding chicks both before
and after fledging. Colonial, well-spaced nests consisting
of sticks and vegetation, cup lined with fine plants and wool.
Generally three to four eggs laid February through May. Incubation
16 days; fledging 21 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Locally common throughout its range.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Known by the Hopi as the bird of war because of its habit of
mobbing predators.
Photo Gallery of - Pinyon jay
