Jays & crows
Steller's Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
The western counterpart of the blue jay. It is equally fond of peanuts and equally capable of emptying a feeder in a single visit.
- Food to offer
- Peanuts
- Sunflower
- Feeder that suits it
- Platform or large hopper
- Size
- Large
- When to expect it
- Year-round (western North America)
- Region
- West
Photos of Steller's Jay
4 imagesFeeding Steller's Jay at a glance
For someone putting out food for the first time.
What to put out
- Peanuts
- Black-oil sunflower
- Suet
Best feeder and placement
Platform or large hopper.
How it behaves at the feeder
As bold and food-hungry as a Blue Jay, and just as capable of emptying a feeder in a visit.
How to recognise it
Dark sooty-black head and crest with a blue body and blue wings.
Often confused with
Blue Jay — Blue Jay has a white face and blue crest; Steller's has a black head and crest.
One thing to watch
A western bird. If you have Steller's, you are unlikely to have Blue Jay at the same feeder.
A conifer bird, not a garden bird
Blue Jays are birds of eastern woods and suburbs. Steller's Jays are birds of western conifer forest, from low foothills to high country. That habitat difference explains a lot about where they turn up — and why a garden near conifers sees far more of them than an open suburban lawn.
They are bold, noisy and intelligent, and they treat a feeder as a resource to be monopolised rather than shared.
What it does with the food
Like other jays, Steller's Jays cache. Peanuts in the shell are carried away and hidden, often in the ground or in bark, and recovered later. That is why a feeder can empty quickly while you only ever see one bird at a time.
The practical response is the same as for Blue Jays: if you want to feed them without losing everything, use a platform or large hopper well away from the main small-bird setup, and keep peanuts for that station.
Steller's or Blue Jay?
| Feature | Steller's Jay | Blue Jay |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Sooty black, with a black crest | White face, blue crest |
| Body | Blue | Blue |
| Range | Western North America | Eastern and central North America |
| Habitat | Conifer forest and mountains | Woods, towns, suburbs |
Common questions
Do Steller's Jays migrate?
Generally they are resident, with some local movement by birds at higher elevations moving downslope in winter.
Why do they disappear for weeks?
Jays move around food sources and caching sites. A feeder is one stop, not a fixed territory.
Will they keep smaller birds away?
While they are on a feeder, yes. Two feeders apart from each other keeps small birds in the garden.