Addendum/correction to Steller's Jay Dispersal

I stated that Cyanocitta stelleri annectens is found s. to northern Idaho (Greene, E., W. Davison, and V. R. Muehter. 1998. Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri). In The Birds of North America, No. 343 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA). According to Thomas D. Burliegh, Birds of Idaho (1972), and more current field observation, this subspecies is found throughout the montane areas of southern Idaho also and is probably the only race normally resident in the state. The most telling field mark to look for, especially at this time of year when all birds of the year have finished molt into Basic I plumage (which is also similar to the Definitive Basic plumage of all adults), is a whitish area above the eye, but no white spot below the eye (this second white area would be characteristic of the Rocky Mountain race, C. s. macrolopha). Birds in Idaho or east that do not show any white in the ocular area should be also be carefully noted, because they might possibly be of the subspecies C. s. frontalis, usually found in the mountains of central Oregon south.

Needless to say, the higher than usual numbers of Steller's Jay being reported by various observers in coastal areas of Oregon and Washington, where the nominate Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri is resident should also be carefully scrutinized for recognizable field marks of subspecies from further east (see http://www.idahobirds.net/identification/identification.html ).

Note: If you live and especially if you have taken photos in central or coastal Oregon, Washington, or on the Queen Charlotte Is. archipelago of British Columbia, or in any other area in the Pacific Northwest or montane Great Basin where Steller's Jay occurs normally, would you please take a moment and send me your best shots of birds normally resident (spring or summer is ideal, but any time of the year would be good also, noting the dates and locality where the photo was taken) or of birds seen at feeders and elsewhere this Fall where they do not normally occur. I will try to put together both a photo gallery of the 5 subspecies found in our regions and an article detailing distribution and identification, with a special emphasis on post-breeding dispersal, specifically utilizing data from this Fall. Please note that Steller's Jay systematics are not clearly defined and often poorly understood, with the subspecies being clinal and known to intergrade and overlap. Browning provides the most recent treatment of the systematics of the species (M. R. Browning 1993. Taxonomy of the blue-crested group of Cyanocitta stelleri (Steller’s Jay) with a description of a new subspecies. Bull. Br. Ornithol. Club 113: 34–41).