Canada Jay
Perisoreus canadensis
Least ConcernAves · Passeriformes · Corvidae
About
The Canada jay, also known as the grey jay, gray jay, camp robber, moose bird, gorby, or whisky jack, is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae. It is found in boreal forests of North America, north to the tree line, and in the Rocky Mountains subalpine zone south to New Mexico and Arizona. A fairly large songbird, the Canada jay has pale grey underparts, darker grey upperparts, and a grey-white head with a darker grey nape. It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, a genus more closely related to the magpie genus Cyanopica than to other birds known as jays. The Canada jay itself has nine recognized subspecies.
Fun Fact
Canada jays wrench, twist, and tug food apart, unlike other birds known as jays (such as the blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata), which grasp and hammer their food.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Live in lower elevations of coastal Alaska or British Columbia dominated by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis).
Diet
Eat engorged winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) during April and May in Algonquin Provincial Park.
Lifespan
17 years (wild)
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance