The scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica) is a common blue and gray colored bird found in the western United States and Mexico. But why is this bird named the “scrub” jay? In this article, we’ll explore the origins of the scrub jay’s name, its physical characteristics, habitat, diet, behavior, and more to understand how this bird got its distinctive moniker.
What is a Scrub Jay?
The scrub jay is a medium-sized songbird, approximately 11-13 inches in length. It has blue upperparts, pale gray underparts, a long tail, a large head with a prominent crest, and strong legs and bill. The bird’s most distinguishing feature is its bright blue head, wings, and tail that contrast sharply with its pale gray breast and belly.
There are four recognized subspecies of scrub jay found in different regions of western North America:
- California scrub jay (A. c. californica) – found along the Pacific coast
- Woodhouse’s scrub jay (A. c. woodhouseii) – found in the Great Basin and Colorado River regions
- Sumichrast’s scrub jay (A. c. sumichrasti) – found in northwest Mexico
- Florida scrub jay (A. c. coerulescens) – found in Florida
The Florida scrub jay is considered a unique species by some authorities and is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The other scrub jays, while varying slightly in size and color, share very similar features and habits.
Scrub Jay Habitat
As their name suggests, scrub jays are predominantly found in scrubby, arid habitats. They occur in low elevation pine-oak woodlands, pinyon-juniper forests, chaparral, and scrub oak areas. Scrub jays are well adapted to dry environments and thrive in habitats with thickets of low, scrubby vegetation mixed with trees and open sunny areas.
Their range extends from southern British Columbia through the western United States to Mexico. Scrub jays are absent from the driest desert regions of the Southwest as well as dense, wet coniferous forests. Within their range, scrub jays can be found year-round in brushy habitat near human settlements, parks, campgrounds, and backyards.
Key Scrub Jay Habitats
- Pine-oak woodlands
- Chaparral
- Pinyon-juniper forests
- Scrub oak areas
- Suburban parks and yards
Scrub Jay Diet
Scrub jays are omnivorous, feeding on a wide variety of plant and animal matter. Their diet includes:
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Berries
- Fruit
- Acorn
- Insects
- Spiders
- Snails
- Small reptiles
- Eggs
- Nestlings
- Grain
- Pet food
- Picnic scraps
- Garbage
They use their strong beak to crack open acorns, nuts and seeds. Scrub jays frequently cache food items to retrieve later. They have excellent spatial memory and can remember thousands of caches.
Key Foods
- Acorns
- Pine nuts
- Insects
- Berries
- Seeds
- Peanuts
Scrub jays will consume almost anything edible and become very tame around picnic areas, camps, and bird feeders where they can readily get food scraps.
Scrub Jay Behavior
Scrub jays exhibit complex social behaviors. They are highly territorial and remain paired for life with their breeding partner. Family groups consist of the breeding pair and several generations of offspring which help defend the territory and care for new nestlings.
Scrub jays have cooperative breeding systems where offspring remain with their parents to help raise siblings. These family groups are noisy and conspicuous in defending territories.
Scrub jays are also highly intelligent birds that demonstrate problem-solving skills, memory, and food caching strategies. Their large brains relative to body size allow them to remember over 200 food cache locations and retrieval techniques. They can also mimic calls of other bird species.
Other behaviors include:
- Loud calling
- Scolding intruders
- Clashing bills in aggression displays
- Playing with objects
- Mimicking hawks to scare other birds from food
- Covering food caches with debris
Overall, the scrub jay is a remarkably smart, social, and family-oriented bird that lives in tight-knit groups within a well-defended territory. These behaviors likely contribute to its survival in the challenging dry scrub habitats.
Key Behaviors
- Highly territorial
- Long-term pair bonding
- Cooperative breeding in family groups
- Food caching
- Intelligence and problem-solving skills
Breeding and Nesting
Scrub jays breed between March and July depending on their range. They form lifelong pair bonds and work together to build a nest, incubate eggs and care for young.
Nests are cup-shaped, sturdy structures up to 13 inches across built low in a bush or tree 2-20 feet above ground. The outside consists of twigs lined with bark strips, grass, feathers, hair and other soft materials. Males gather most of the materials and females do most of the construction.
Clutch size is typically 2-5 light blue or greenish spotted eggs. Incubation lasts 16-18 days and nestling period is 18 days. Parents work together to feed nestlings. Young jays can fly at about 22 days but remain with and are fed by the parents an additional 2+ months.
Scrub jays produce one brood per year. Occasionally re-nest after a failed first attempt. Males feed females before and during the egg-laying period.
Breeding and Nesting
- Breeding season: March to July
- Nest: cup in bush or tree 2-20 ft up
- Clutch: 2-5 eggs
- Incubation: 16-18 days
- Fledge: 22 days
- Care for young: 3+ months
Overall, scrub jays have a slow reproductive strategy with high parental investment in rearing just a few young. Their cooperative breeding system and territorial nature likely contribute to breeding success in their dry, challenging environment.
Origins of “Scrub Jay” Name
Now that we’ve covered the scrub jay’s defining characteristics, let’s discuss how it got its name. There are a few key reasons this bird is called a scrub jay:
Preference for Scrubby Habitats
As discussed earlier, scrub jays strongly prefer and are highly adapted to scrubby, arid habitats like chaparral, oak scrub, and pinyon-juniper woodlands. They thrive in hot, dry areas with patchy scrub vegetation as opposed to dense, wet forests. The “scrub” part of their name refers to this clear habitat preference.
Distinct from Steller’s Jays
The scrub jay was first scientifically described in 1816 as Corvus coerulescens, part of the crow genus. At that time, it was distinguished from the longer-known Steller’s jay which occupies coniferous mountain forests. Calling it a “scrub” jay helped differentiate it from Steller’s jays based on habitat preferences.
Similar Blue Jays in East
Blue jays in eastern North America have a similar color pattern to scrub jays. Using “scrub” in the western species’ name helped differentiate it from its eastern counterparts like the blue jay and Florida scrub jay.
Multiple Related Subspecies
The four subspecies of scrub jay (California, Woodhouse’s, Sumichrast’s, and Florida) all share scrubby habitat preferences and were likely lumped into a single “scrub” species. The common name “scrub jay” encompassed these similar western forms.
In summary, the scrub jay’s name directly reflects its scrubland habitat affinities and close relationship to other “jay” species in North America.
Why “Scrub”?
The term “scrub” in scrub jay refers to:
- Preferred scrubby, brushy habitats
- Differentiation from Steller’s jays
- Distinction from eastern blue jays
- Inclusion of multiple related subspecies
Conclusion
In conclusion, the scrub jay gets its name from its close association and adaptations to the scrubby, arid habitats of western North America. By calling it a “scrub” jay, early ornithologists recognized this species as a unique west coast form occupying vegetation distinct from the forests of Steller’s jays or analogous eastern species. The name “scrub jay” fits this species perfectly, encompassing multiple subspecies that thrive in dry brushy areas across western North America and Mexico.