Bird guide · Perisoreus canadensis
Canada Jay
What the Canada jay eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm)
- Eats
- suet, peanuts, seeds
- Feeds
- tray/platform, suet cage
- Most common
- Alaska, Wyoming, Minnesota
Food
What do Canada jays eat?
At feeders, Canada jays take suet, peanuts, seeds.
Fearless around camps and cabins, taking food and flying off to store it.
Feeder that suits it
A suet cage on a tree trunk or pole; peanuts and sunflower hearts work too.
Range
Where do Canada jays live?
Boreal and subalpine forests of Canada, Alaska and western mountains. By share of all bird sightings, Canada jays are most common in Alaska (0.5%).
States where Canada jays are most common
- Alaska0.5%
- Wyoming0.3%
- Minnesota0.1%
- Montana0.1%
- Oregon0.1%
- Colorado0.09%
- Washington0.07%
- South Dakota0.07%
- Idaho0.05%
- Vermont0.04%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are Canada jays, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the Canada jay migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in August.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are Canada jays, by month.
Identification
How to identify the Canada jay
Adults: Fluffy grey jay, paler below, with a dark patch on the nape.
Young birds: Dark charcoal grey with a paler whisker mark.
Size: 12 in (30 cm)
On camera
Getting the Canada jay on a feeder camera
Pick a camera feeder that takes a suet cage, or mount a separate camera next to a suet feeder on the trunk – woodpeckers cling to the bark while they feed.
Questions
Canada Jay: questions
What do Canada jays eat?
At feeders, suet, peanuts, seeds.
Do Canada jays migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in August.
Where do Canada jays live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Alaska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware.