This species is very distinctive and is unlikely to cause any identification difficulties. The other largely grey corvid inhabiting the same habitats as the Gray Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, is easily distinguished by its contrasting grey, black, and white plumage, with bold white patches in the wings and tail, as well as its longer, more slender bill and crow-like (rather than jay-like) shape. These two species should not cause more than momentary confusion.
| This species is relatively quiet compared to other corvids, but nonetheless gives a wide array of calls throughout the year. The male produces a quiet ‘whisper song’ year-round, with increasing frequency in late winter and early spring, that consists of a long (30-60 seconds) series of soft, melodious whistles interspersed with quiet clicks. The most commonly-heard calls include a clear, descending, whistled wheee-ooo, a single, often-repeated whuit or weef, a series of soft, musical whistles ( hoo, hoo, hoo), and a rapid series of low-pitched, semi-musical notes ( chook, chook, chook). Also gives various additional chattering, twittering, and whistled calls during various social interactions. It is also known to produce imitations of the calls of several other species, including Northern Pygmy-Owl, Merlin, Pine Grosbeak, Red-tailed Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Blue Jay, and American Crow. The calls of all subspecies are generally similar, although the calls of Pacific coast birds ( P.c.obscurus) may average slightly higher and sharper. Source: Strickland and Ouellet (1993); Sibley (2000) |
Courtship
The breeding season of this species is among the earliest of all birds in the province, which is especially remarkable given that it occurs in some of the coldest, snowiest climates in B.C. Courtship can occur at any time of the year, as this species is monogamous and generally maintains life-long pair bonds. The ‘whisper song’ of the male is the primary means of courtship in this species, and it is given at increased frequency during the late winter and early spring to initiate breeding. The female solicits copulation by crouching and wagging the tail, and the male often precedes copulation by similar tail-wagging behaviour or by touching the female’s bill with his own.
Nest
Nest building begins very early in the year, usually while subzero temperatures and heavy snows are the dominant weather conditions. Both sexes contribute to the building of the nest, which begins in March (often early March, rarely in February) and takes ~3 weeks to complete. The nest is usually situated on a horizontal branch within dense foliage near the top of a living conifer, often near the ends of the branches. It is usually well-concealed by the boughs, but is sometimes exposed. Some nests are built in living deciduous trees or shrubs (aspen, willow), particularly in the far north of the province. The nest itself consists of a large (14-18 cm wide and 10-15 cm high), bulky, thick-walled cup of coarse twigs, lichen, leaves, grasses, plant stalks, and strips of bark, often incorporating insect cocoons and spider webs into its foundations. It is lined with feathers, hair, fur, fine grasses, moss, and plant down.
Eggs
A single clutch of (1) 3-4 (5) eggs is laid in mid- to late March or during the first half of April (rarely later) and is incubated by the female for 16-18 days before hatching. Eggs are present in B.C. between mid-March and mid-May. The smooth eggs are pale greenish-white to pale grey and are sparsely to densely coated with small, dark olive to rusty flecks, spots, and speckles that tend to be concentrated at the larger end of the egg. This species is not known to be parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird, likely due to its early breeding season that occurs well before cowbirds have migrated north into the habitats that are occupied by Gray Jays.
Young
The young are altricial upon hatching, with flesh-pink skin and sparse down on the head and back. The nestlings are tended by both parents throughout the period in the nest and fledge at 22-24 days of age. This species often breeds cooperatively, during which it incorporates non-breeding individuals as helpers during the nestling period. Once they have left the nest, the young remain nearby for another 18-21 days while they are tended by the parents and helpers. After this period, the entire family group (including parents and fledged juveniles) move through the territory for another 10-20 days before the juveniles begin to be expelled from the territory by the parents and (usually) one dominant juvenile. The dominant juvenile will often remain on the territory of the parents through the winter and into the following breeding season and then will act as a helper during the subsequent nesting.
Source: Strickland and Ouellet (1993); Baicich and Harrison (1997); Campbell et al. (1997)
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The success of this species year-round in remote, often frigid boreal and montane habitats is a testament to its versatile, omnivorous diet and ability to locate food resources in some of the most inhospitable conditions. The Gray Jay consumes an immense range of foods, including carrion, live prey (small rodents, frogs, snakes, nestling birds), eggs, insects and other invertebrates, berries, fruits, seeds, and even fungi. It is a characteristic inhabitant of hunter’s camps and trap lines, where it consumes meat and fat that is left behind on carcasses and discarded hides. It commonly takes food from the place of capture or acquisition into a more secluded place nearby for further consumption, often carrying such food in its feet; it is one of few passerines known to regularly carry food in its feet. It caches large amounts of food for later consumption, as do many other species of corvids, and this behaviour is integral to its ability to remain year-round in boreal climates. It does not hammer hard or frozen food with its bill, as many other jays do, but rather rips of chunks off with twisting and tugging motions of the head. Where it occurs in areas near human habitation (ski resorts, alpine villages), this species readily adapts to taking human foods such as bread, crackers, nuts, fruits, etc., and often becomes very bold in its attempts to acquire such foods (landing on people, raiding picnic tables, entering cabins, etc.). It also comes to bird feeders when they are available.
Source: Strickland and Ouellet (1993)
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