User:Kfwilson13/California scrub jay

Diet & Foraging

Depending on the season, California scrub jays have varying diets of native foods to Western North America. In the summer, they tend to eat a plethora of different insects and snails. In the winter, they primarily forage for seeds (such as acorns), nuts and berries. Year round, California scrub jays will eat rodents, other birds’ eggs, and small reptiles. When raising the young, the jays mainly search for moth caterpillars to feed to their babies for roughly the first month and a half of their lives.

Region

The California scrub jay does not migrate, but it is currently found less and less in certain regions of California. As coastal areas of the state continue being developed,  climate change becomes more extreme, and habitat change and loss occurs, the Aphelocoma californica is slowly vanishing in those regions. Instead, the species is being spotted more in Oregon and Washington.

Personality

California scrub jays are known to be bold and less scared of humans compared to other species of jays. They have also been noted to be inquisitive and vocal, with a louder call than their other jay counterparts.

Additionally, California scrub jays have been found to hold funerals for discovering other dead jays. During the practice, they will make loud sounds to attract other jays, and remain in close proximity to the dead jay for one to two days.