Pinyon Jay Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  The Pinyon Jay is a medium-sized and crestless jay that kind of looks like a miniature crow. It has a shorter tail and a longer more daggerlike bill than other jays.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Townsend's Solitaire, smaller than an American Crow.

  robin-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 10.2-11.4 in (26-29 cm)
    • Weight: 3.2-4.2 oz (90-120 g)
    • Wingspan: 18.1 in (46 cm)

  © David Hollie / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Males and females are dusky blue overall with a paler often dingy blue-gray belly. Note the dusky white throat.

• Behavior

  Pinyon Jays scour pinyon-juniper patches for seeds and generally aren't found alone. Large groups forage in trees and on the ground. They move across the landscape in tightly packed flocks flying with quick and strong wingbeats.

• Habitat

  Look for Pinyon Jays in pinyon-juniper woodland, sagebrush, scrub oak, chaparral, and sometimes in pine forests.