Aphelocoma woodhouseii
| Woodhouse's scrub jay | |
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Not recognized (IUCN 3.1)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Corvidae |
| Genus: | Aphelocoma |
| Species: | A. woodhouseii |
| Binomial name | |
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Aphelocoma woodhouseii (SF Baird, 1858) |
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| Subspecies | |
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see text |
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see text
Woodhouse's scrub jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii), is a species of scrub jay native to western North America. It ranges from southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho to central Mexico. It comprises two distinct subspecies groups. They are Woodhouse's scrub jay (interior US and northern Mexico), and Sumichrast's scrub jay (interior southern Mexico). Woodhouse's scrub jay was once lumped with the California scrub jay, the island scrub jay and collectively called the western scrub jay. It was also lumped with the Florida scrub jay; the taxon was then called, simply, the scrub jay. Woodhouse's scrub jay is nonmigratory and can be found in urban areas, where it can become tame and will come to bird feeders. While many refer to scrub jays as "blue jays", the blue jay is a different species of bird entirely.
Woodhouse's scrub jay is a medium-sized bird, approximately 27–31 cm (11–12 in) in length (including its tail), with a 39 cm (15 in) wingspan, and about 80 g (2.8 oz) in weight. Coastal Pacific birds tend to be brighter in coloration than those of the interior, but all are patterned in blue, white and gray, though none as uniform in color as the related Mexican jay. In general, this species has a blue head, wings, and tail, a gray-brown back, and grayish underparts. The throat is whitish with a blue necklace. The call is described as "harsh and scratchy".
True to its name, Woodhouse's scrub jay inhabits areas of low scrub, preferring pinon-juniper forests, oak woods, edges of mixed evergreen forests and sometimes mesquite bosques. Woodhouse's scrub jays are very common west of the Rocky Mountains, and can be found in scrub-brush, boreal forests, and temperate forests.
Woodhouse's scrub jays usually forage in pairs, family groups, or small non-kin groups, outside of the breeding season. They feed on small animals, such as frogs and lizards, eggs and young of other birds, insects, and (particularly in winter) grains, nuts, and berries. They can be aggressive towards other birds, for example, they have been known to steal hoarded acorns from Acorn Woodpecker granary trees.
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Wikipedia