Warble
Listen for a question or a shout. A California Scrub-Jay gives a loud, throaty jree? that often rises at the end, and in flight a long run of check-check-check notes. A Blue Jay shouts a raucous jay-jay and mixes in a musical queedle-queedle and a near-perfect Red-shouldered Hawk scream. Then look at the head. A Blue Jay has a tall crest, a black necklace and white bars and corners on its wings and tail. Scrub-jays, including the Florida Scrub-Jay, have no crest and no white spots, just blue, gray and a long, floppy tail.
Side by side
| Scrub-jays (California and Florida) | Blue Jay | |
|---|---|---|
| Main call | California: a loud, throaty jayy? or jree?, flat or rising. Florida: a loud, harsh shreep | A raucous jay-jay and other harsh cries |
| Other sounds | California: a long check-check-check in flight, buzzes and rattles. Florida: trills and high warbles | A musical queedle-queedle; copies of Red-shouldered and Broad-winged Hawks |
| Head | No crest | Tall crest and a black necklace |
| Wings and tail | Plain blue, no white; long, rounded tail that flops in flight | Bright blue with white wing bars and white tail corners |
| Back | Gray, contrasting with the blue | Dull blue-gray |
| Size | California 11 to 13 inches; Florida 9 to 11 | 9 to 12 inches |
| Where | California: oak woods and suburbs of the Pacific Coast. Florida: sandy oak scrub, Florida only | Woods, groves, towns and yards, mostly in the East |
By ear: a question or a shout
Both birds are loud, so listen to the shape of each call. The California Scrub-Jay's everyday note is a single throaty jayy? or jree?, which Audubon describes as flat or rising; with the lift at the end, it sounds like a question shouted across the yard. In flight a scrub-jay gives a long string of check-check-check notes, and it has buzzes and rattles too.
The Blue Jay's signature is the raucous jay-jay, a harsh, two-beat shout, along with a long list of other cries. Two of its sounds are giveaways. One is a musical queedle-queedle, a far cry from any throaty scrub-jay note. The other is a scream that Audubon calls almost identical to a Red-shouldered Hawk's, and the jay copies Broad-winged Hawks too. If a hawk seems to be screaming from inside a leafy tree in an eastern yard, check for a Blue Jay.
In Florida, which has both a scrub-jay and Blue Jays, the Florida Scrub-Jay's call is a loud, harsh shreep, and it also has a song of trills and high warbles. A Blue Jay still gives itself away with jay-jay, the musical queedle or a hawk impression.
By sight: the crest settles it
Look at the top of the head. The Blue Jay has a crest, and the scrub-jays do not: the whole scrub-jay genus, Aphelocoma, is set apart by a longer tail, shorter and more rounded wings and no crest at all. The Blue Jay also wears a black necklace, and its bright blue wings and tail are marked with white wing bars and white tail corners. Audubon notes that other blue jays lack that white pattern.
A California Scrub-Jay is blue on the head, wings and tail, with a gray back that contrasts with the blue, and a white throat framed by a streaky necklace. Its long, rounded tail flops as it flies with an undulating flap-and-glide, and pairs often swoop across clearings. Audubon gives it 11 to 13 inches, against 9 to 12 for the Blue Jay.
The Florida Scrub-Jay looks much like the California bird but has a paler forehead. It is a bit smaller, 9 to 11 inches, about the size of a robin, so in Florida size is no help: a smooth head and plain blue wings mean scrub-jay.
Where you will meet each one
Geography usually decides before you even look. Scrub-jays belong to the western United States and Mexico, with one outlying population in Florida. The California Scrub-Jay lives along the Pacific Coast in oak woodland, oak scrub, riverside woods and foothill pinyon pine, and it is often very common in well-wooded suburbs and parks. Audubon calls it the blue jay of Pacific Coast parks and neighborhoods. Pairs stay together on one territory all year, and the birds come readily to feeders. Until July 2016 it was lumped with the interior Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay as a single species.
Audubon ranks the Blue Jay among the noisiest, flashiest birds of eastern yards and woodlots. It lives in oak and pine woods, groves, suburban gardens, towns and city parks, favoring oaks and beeches. Most stay all year, though variable numbers move south in fall, and the range has been expanding toward the northwest.
Florida is where the question gets real. The Florida Scrub-Jay lives nowhere else on Earth, only in Florida scrub: short, scrubby oaks on sandy soil, mostly in isolated patches that the birds rarely leave. A breeding pair often keeps one to six helpers, usually its grown young, that defend the territory and feed new chicks. It is also in trouble. Audubon reports about 4,000 pairs in the early 1990s, a drop of more than 90 percent, driven by development and by fire suppression that lets the open scrub grow over.
Still not sure which one is outside? Warble listens while it sings and tells you, then adds the card to your album. Get the app free.Questions people ask
What is the difference between a scrub jay and a blue jay?
The crest and the voice. A Blue Jay has a tall crest, a black necklace and white spots on its wings and tail, and screams jay-jay. Scrub-jays have no crest and no white spots, and the California Scrub-Jay gives a throaty, often rising jree?. Scrub-jays live in the West and Florida; Blue Jays mostly in the East.
Are there blue jays in California?
The jay most people notice in California parks and suburbs is the California Scrub-Jay, a crestless blue and gray bird that Audubon calls the blue jay of Pacific Coast parks and neighborhoods. The true Blue Jay is mainly an eastern bird, though its range is expanding northwest.
How do you tell a Florida Scrub-Jay from a Blue Jay?
Look for the crest. The Florida Scrub-Jay has a smooth, crestless head, a paler forehead and no white in its wings or tail. The Blue Jay has a crest and white wing and tail spots. By ear, the scrub-jay gives a harsh shreep; the Blue Jay says jay-jay.
Sources
- National Audubon Society, Guide to North American Birds: California Scrub-Jay. www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/california-scrub-jay
- National Audubon Society, Guide to North American Birds: Blue Jay. www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/blue-jay
- National Audubon Society, Guide to North American Birds: Florida Scrub-Jay. www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/florida-scrub-jay
- Wikipedia: Aphelocoma (scrub jays: no crest, longer tail, range). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphelocoma