Bird guide · Aphelocoma woodhouseii
Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay
What the Woodhouse's scrub-jay eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Mostly year-round resident; may disperse in dry winters.
- Size
- 11 in (27.5 cm)
- Eats
- peanuts, nuts, seeds
- Feeds
- tray/platform, ground
- Most common
- New Mexico, Utah, Colorado
Food
What do Woodhouse's scrub-jays eat?
At feeders, Woodhouse's scrub-jays take peanuts, nuts, seeds, acorns.
Can become tame at feeders and will even take peanuts from a hand.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do Woodhouse's scrub-jays live?
Sparse pinyon-juniper woodland of the interior West; enters suburbs of some western cities. By share of all bird sightings, Woodhouse's scrub-jays are most common in New Mexico (1.2%).
Season
Does the Woodhouse's scrub-jay migrate?
Mostly year-round resident; may disperse in dry winters.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in September.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are Woodhouse's scrub-jays, by month.
Identification
How to identify the Woodhouse's scrub-jay
Adults: Slim, crestless jay: dull blue head, wings and tail, greyer back, light grey underparts with a faint blue chest band.
Size: 11 in (27.5 cm)
Easily confused with
- California Scrub-Jay – brighter blue with a more contrasting throat
- Mexican Jay – heavier-bodied, plainer grey below
On camera
Getting the Woodhouse's scrub-jay on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay: questions
What do Woodhouse's scrub-jays eat?
At feeders, peanuts, nuts, seeds, acorns.
Do Woodhouse's scrub-jays migrate?
Mostly year-round resident; may disperse in dry winters.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in September.
Where do Woodhouse's scrub-jays live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware.
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