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Western scrub jay, Pinnacles National Park, 2014.

The western scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica) comprises three distinct subspecies groups, each of which may actually be separate species (this is under debate): California scrub jay (coastal), Woodhouse's scrub jay (interior US and northern Mexico) and Sumichrast's scrub jay (interior southern Mexico). Remember, the scrub jay is NOT a 'blue jay'. The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is an entirely different species! Like many other corvids, the scrub jay relies on highly accurate and complex memories to recover the hidden caches of food they store within their territories. During this collection and storing process, they have shown an ability to plan ahead in choosing cache sites to provide adequate food storage volume and variety for the future. They even implement strategies to reduce theft of their own food stores. These mischievous birds are not above outright theft of other bird's stores, though. You might also see a scrub jay standing on the back of a mule deer. it is picking off and eating parasites from the deer. Often, the deer will stand still and hold up its ears to give jays access to their parasites!

U.S. National Park Service

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Pinnacles National Park, Code: PINN

National Park Service Facebook Photos

Title: Pinnacles National Park
URL: https://www.facebook.com/pinnaclesnps?fref=ts

20140819

08/19/2014

Public Can View

Organization: Pinnacles National Park
Address: 5000 Hwy 146, Paicines, CA 95043

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