California Scrub-Jay Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Calls
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California, April 19, 2020Recorded by Paul Fenwick / Macaulay Library
Calls
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California, July 09, 2019Recorded by Bob Hasenick / Macaulay Library
Calls
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California, March 29, 2020Recorded by Paul Fenwick / Macaulay Library
Calls
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California, March 21, 2009Recorded by Nathan Pieplow
Calls
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California, February 11, 2020Recorded by Paul Fenwick / Macaulay Library
Flock calls
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California, July 04, 2020Recorded by Diane Schroeder / Macaulay Library
Whisper song
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California, July 19, 2020Recorded by Herb Elliott / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Both males and females sing a soft medley of sweet notes that can last up to 5 minutes. Scrub-jays typically do this only during courtship and when the pair is close together.

Calls

California Scrub-Jays, like other jays, are extremely vocal. Behaviorists have described more than 20 separate types of calls for this and the closely related Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay. Examples include a weep uttered during flight, while carrying nesting material, or while taking cover from a flying predator; a bell-like shlenk used antagonistically, a quiet kuk exchanged between mates, and loud, rasping scolds for mobbing predators.

Other Sounds

Scrub-jays often clack their bill mandibles together to make a sharp rapping. Their wings make a whooshing sound on takeoff, and they exaggerated this during altercations.