Steller's jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

The Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) is a bird found in United States and Canada. Pine forests of western North America. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, small mammals and birds and small animals. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Cyanocitta stelleri
Region	North America
Found in	United States and Canada

🏡 Where the Steller's jay lives

Pine forests of western North America.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs20%
🐭 Mammals & birds20%
🐾 Small animals20%
🍎 Fruit20%
🌰 Seeds & nuts20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It has a black crest like a mohawk and a harsh, raspy call.

Hear the Steller's jay

Recorded by Matt Wistrand (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC915555. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Steller's jay

Where does the Steller's jay live?

The Steller's jay lives in United States and Canada. Pine forests of western North America.

What does the Steller's jay eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%), small mammals and birds (about 20%), small animals (about 20%), fruit (about 20%), seeds and nuts (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Steller's jay endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.