As I searched my photos for California Scrub Jay, I came upon photos that I took for Steller’s Jay at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah on November, 19 2019. Bryce Canyon National Park is one of my favorite national parks. The red, orange and white hoodoos are breathtaking. I remembered while I was enjoying this magnificent landscape, a bright blue bird caught my eyes. This blue bird, with a punk-like head, is very beautiful. I was busy traveling with my friends then and I totally forgot about this bird. Until now, I learned this is a Steller’s jay. Steller’s jay is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and pine jay. It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains. They are omnivores; their diet is about two-thirds plant matter and one-third animal matter. Jays have incredible spatial memories, and Steller’s Jays store surplus food in caches. They also raid the caches of other jays. Steller’s Jays are common nest predators, stealing both eggs and chicks from the nests of many species. Like other jays, the Steller’s jay has numerous and variable vocalizations. The Steller’s jay is also a noted mimic: it can imitate the vocalizations of many species of birds, other animals, and sounds of non-animal origin. It often will imitate the calls from birds of prey such as the red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, and osprey, causing other birds to seek cover and flee feeding areas.
當我在搜索西叢鴉的照片時，我看到了我於2019年11月19日在猶他州布萊斯峽谷國家公園(Bryce Canyon National Park)照到的暗冠藍鴉。布萊斯峽谷國家公園是我最喜歡的國家公園之一，紅色、橙色與白色混合的岩柱，令人嘆為觀止，我記得當時我正好好的欣賞這壯麗的景觀，眼角卻瞥到一隻鮮豔的藍色的鳥，有個像龐克的頭，很漂亮。那時忙著陪朋友旅遊，就忘了這種鳥，直到現今才查出這是暗冠藍鴉。暗冠藍鴉也被稱為長冠松鴉，山松鴉和松樹松鴉。它是落基山脈以西唯一的冠松鴉。它們是雜食動物。它們的飲食大約三分之二是植物而三分之一是動物。松鴉具有令人難以置信的空間記憶，暗冠藍鴉會將多餘的食物儲存起來。它們還會襲擊其他松鴉的藏物處。暗冠藍鴉是常見的巢穴捕食者，從許多物種的巢穴中偷走蛋和小鳥。像其他松鴉一樣，暗冠藍鴉有許多可變的發聲。暗冠藍鴉也是一個著名的仿聲者：它可以模仿許多鳥類，其他動物的聲音以及非動物的聲音。它通常會模仿猛禽，如紅尾鷹，紅肩鷹和魚鷹的叫聲，從而導致其他鳥類尋找掩護地方並逃離覓食區域。
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Notes 筆記
- Steller’s jay is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and pine jay. It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains. It is also sometimes colloquially called a “blue jay” in the Pacific Northwest, but is distinct from the blue jay (C. cristata) of eastern North America.
- This bird is named after the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, the first European to record them, in 1741.
- Steller’s jay is about 30–34 cm (12–13 in) long. It shows a great deal of regional variation throughout its range. Blackish-brown-headed birds from the north gradually become bluer-headed farther south.
- Steller’s jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) is one of two species in the genus Cyanocitta, the other species being the blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata); because the two species sometimes interbreed naturally where their ranges overlap in the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, their status as distinct species has been contested. There are 18 subspecies of Steller’s jays ranging from Alaska to Nicaragua, with nine found north of Mexico.
- Steller’s jay occurs in most of the forested areas of western North America as far east as the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains from southern Alaska in the north to northern Nicaragua in the south. It is also found in Mexico occurring through the interior highlands in northwestern Mexico as well as patchy populations in the rest of Mexico.
- Steller’s jays are omnivores; their diet is about two-thirds plant matter and one-third animal matter. They gather food both from the ground and from trees. Steller’s jay’s diet includes a wide range of seeds, nuts, berries and other fruit. They also eat many types of invertebrates, small rodents, eggs, and nestlings. There are some accounts of them eating small reptiles, both snakes and lizards. Acorns and conifer seeds are staples during the non-breeding season.
- Steller’s jays breed in monogamous pairs. Between two and six eggs are laid during breeding season. The clutch is usually incubated entirely by the female for about 16 days. The male feeds the female during this time. Though they are known to be loud both day and night, during nesting they are quiet in order to not attract attention.
- The nest is usually in a conifer, but is sometimes built in a hollow in a tree or beneath the awning of a house or other structure.
- Jays have incredible spatial memories, and Steller’s Jays store surplus food in caches. They also raid the caches of other jays. Steller’s Jays are common nest predators, stealing both eggs and chicks from the nests of many species.
- Like other jays, the Steller’s jay has numerous and variable vocalizations. The Steller’s jay is also a noted mimic: it can imitate the vocalizations of many species of birds, other animals, and sounds of non-animal origin. It often will imitate the calls from birds of prey such as the red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, and osprey, causing other birds to seek cover and flee feeding areas.
- The Steller’s jay is the provincial bird of the Canadian province of British Columbia.
- 暗冠藍鴉也被稱為長冠松鴉，山松鴉和松樹松鴉。它是落基山脈以西唯一的冠松鴉。在太平洋西北地區，它有時也俗稱“冠藍鴉”，但與北美東部的冠藍鴉（C. cristata）不同。
- 這隻鳥是以德國自然學家喬治·威廉·斯特勒（Georg Wilhelm Steller）的名字命名，他是1741年第一個記錄它的歐洲人。
- 暗冠藍鴉長約30–34公分(12–13英寸)。它在整個分佈範圍內有很大的區域性差異。北部是棕褐色頭而往南則逐漸偏藍。
- 暗冠藍鴉(Cyanocitta stelleri)是冠藍鴉屬中的兩個物種之一，另一個物種是冠藍鴉(Cyanocitta cristata)。因為它們在落磯山脈的東部山麓分佈的範圍相疊， 這兩種物種有時會自然交配，因此視它們為不同物種的立場備受爭議。從阿拉斯加到尼加拉瓜，暗冠藍鴉有18個亞種，在墨西哥北部就發現了9種。
- 從北部的阿拉斯加南部到南部的尼加拉瓜北部，在北美西部大部分森林地區都可看到暗冠藍鴉，最遠處可達洛磯山脈的東部山麓。在墨西哥也看得到它們，在墨西哥西北部的內陸高地以及墨西哥其他地區有零星的鳥群。
- 暗冠藍鴉是雜食動物。它們的飲食大約三分之二是植物而三分之一是動物。它們可從地面上也可從樹上集取食物。暗冠藍鴉的飲食包括各種各樣的種子、堅果、漿果和其他水果。它們還會吃許多類型的無脊椎動物、小型囓齒動物、蛋和雛鳥。也有一些關於他們吃蛇和蜥蜴的小爬行動物的說法。非繁殖季節的主食是橡子和針葉樹種子。
- 暗冠藍鴉是單配偶制(一夫一妻制)。在繁殖季節會產下兩到六個蛋。雌鳥通常花約16天將蛋孵化。在此期間，雄鳥餵養雌鳥。雖然眾所周知它們白天和黑夜都叫很大聲，但在築巢期間它們卻很安靜以免引起注意。
- 巢通常建在針葉樹中，但有時建在樹上的空洞中或房屋或其他結構的遮篷下。
- 松鴉具有令人難以置信的空間記憶，暗冠藍鴉會將多餘的食物儲存起來。它們還會襲擊其他松鴉的藏物處。暗冠藍鴉是常見的巢穴捕食者，從許多物種的巢穴中偷走蛋和小鳥。
- 像其他松鴉一樣，暗冠藍鴉有許多可變的發聲。暗冠藍鴉也是一個著名的仿聲者：它可以模仿許多鳥類，其他動物的聲音以及非動物的聲音。它通常會模仿猛禽，如紅尾鷹，紅肩鷹和魚鷹的叫聲，從而導致其他鳥類尋找掩護地方並逃離覓食區域。
- 暗冠藍鴉是加拿大不列顛哥倫比亞省的省鳥。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Steller's jay
- All about birds: Steller's Jay
- 維基百科: 暗冠蓝鸦
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