Crows (Corvidae)
Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) - HBW 14, p. 571
French: Geai buissonnier
German: Kalifornienhäher
Spanish: Chara Californiana
Other common names: Scrub/California Jay; California Scrub-jay ("nominate group"); Woodhouse's Scrub-jay ("woodhouseii group"); Sumichrast's Scrub-jay (sumichrasti, remota)
Taxonomy: Garrulus californicus Vigors, 1839, Monterey = Monterey County, California, USA.
May form a superspecies with A. insularis and A. coerulescens, and the three previously treated as conspecific. Relationships of this group with A. ultramarina and A. unicolor yet to be resolved, as recent studies indicate that divergence of these three major lineages within the genus was apparently rapid, leading to conflict among genetic markers. Present species hybridizes with A. coerulescens in captivity and may perhaps hybridize with Cyanocitta stelleri in the wild. Subspecies fall into three fairly well-defined groups, "nominate group" (incorpor.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Garrulus californicus Vigors, 1839, Monterey = Monterey County, California, USA.
May form a superspecies with A. insularis and A. coerulescens, and the three previously treated as conspecific. Relationships of this group with A. ultramarina and A. unicolor yet to be resolved, as recent studies indicate that divergence of these three major lineages within the genus was apparently rapid, leading to conflict among genetic markers. Present species hybridizes with A. coerulescens in captivity and may perhaps hybridize with Cyanocitta stelleri in the wild. Subspecies fall into three fairly well-defined groups, "nominate group" (incorporating also immanis, caurina, oocleptica, obscura, cana and hypoleuca), "woodhouseii group" (incorporating also nevadae, texana, grisea and cyanotis), and "sumichrasti group" (with remota); these possibly represent three distinct species. Race cana is possibly merely a hybrid between nominate race and obscura; immanis, caurina and oocleptica sometimes subsumed in nominate. Proposed race cactophila (from C Baja California, in NW Mexico) synonymized with hypoleuca; birds from SC USA and NC Mexico described as suttoni, but considered inseparable from nevadae. Fourteen subspecies currently recognized.
May form a superspecies with A. insularis and A. coerulescens, and the three previously treated as conspecific. Relationships of this group with A. ultramarina and A. unicolor yet to be resolved, as recent studies indicate that divergence of these three major lineages within the genus was apparently rapid, leading to conflict among genetic markers. Present species hybridizes with A. coerulescens in captivity and may perhaps hybridize with Cyanocitta stelleri in the wild. Subspecies fall into three fairly well-defined groups, "nominate group" (incorporating also immanis, caurina, oocleptica, obscura, cana and hypoleuca), "woodhouseii group" (incorporating also nevadae, texana, grisea and cyanotis), and "sumichrasti group" (with remota); these possibly represent three distinct species. Race cana is possibly merely a hybrid between nominate race and obscura; immanis, caurina and oocleptica sometimes subsumed in nominate. Proposed race cactophila (from C Baja California, in NW Mexico) synonymized with hypoleuca; birds from SC USA and NC Mexico described as suttoni, but considered inseparable from nevadae. Fourteen subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- immanis Grinnell, 1901 - NW USA (W Washington, coastal and interior Oregon).
- caurina Pitelka, 1951 - from coastal S Oregon S to California (Napa and Sonoma Counties, and E to inner Coast Ranges).
- oocleptica Swarth, 1918 - SC Oregon S to interior C California (including Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys and adjacent Coast Ranges S to San Francisco peninsula), Sierra Nevada foothills and E to W Nevada.
- immanis Grinnell, 1901 - NW USA (W Washington, coastal and interior Oregon).
- caurina Pitelka, 1951 - from coastal S Oregon S to California (Napa and Sonoma Counties, and E to inner Coast Ranges).
- oocleptica Swarth, 1918 - SC Oregon S to interior C California (including Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys and adjacent Coast Ranges S to San Francisco peninsula), Sierra Nevada foothills and E to W Nevada.
- californica ( Vigors, 1839) - Coast Range of C California (from San Mateo County and SE Alameda County S to SW Ventura County).
- obscura Anthony, 1889 - SW California (highlands of Mojave Desert) and extreme NW Mexico (N Baja California).
- cana Pitelka, 1951 - Eagle Mt, in Joshua Tree National Park (SE California).
- hypoleuca Ridgway, 1887 - C & S Baja California.
- nevadae Pitelka, 1945 - interior SW USA (throughout Great Basin, mountains in Death Valley and Mojave Desert, and SW New Mexico) S to N Mexico (NE Sonora and NW Chihuahua).
- woodhouseii ( S. F. Baird, 1858) - foothills of Rocky Mts from Utah and S Wyoming S to N Arizona and Colorado, E to W Oklahoma and Texas (including Big Bend), and N Mexico (N Chihuahua).
- texana Ridgway, 1902 - Edwards Plateau (WC Texas).
- grisea Nelson, 1899 - NW Mexico (Sierra Madre Occidental, mostly in Chihuahua).
- cyanotis Ridgway, 1887 - E Mexico (lower Sierra Madre Oriental).
- sumichrasti ( Ridgway, 1874) - S Mexico (Distrito Federal E to Veracruz, Oaxaca and Isthmus of Tehuantepec).
- remota Griscom, 1934 - SW Oaxaca and C Guerrero, in S Mexico.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A lateral view of an adult perched looking around then flying away. Locality Ventura County, California, USA (United States) (ssp californica)
Don DesJardin 25 November 2012 25 weeks ago 21 sec 4.8 -
A dorsal and frontal view of a very animated adult perched and calling Locality Ventura, Ventura County, California, USA (United States) (ssp californica)
Don DesJardin 29 February 2008 5 years ago 35 sec 4.7 -
An adult feeding on an acorn and then picking it up and flying away with it Locality Ventura, Ventura County, California, USA (United States) (ssp californica)
Don DesJardin 29 February 2008 5 years ago 16 sec 4.6 -
A frontal view of an adult perched looking around with an acorn in its beak. Locality Ventura County, California, USA (United States) (ssp californica)
Don DesJardin 26 November 2012 25 weeks ago 28 sec 4.3 -
An adult bird perched and foraging on elderberries Locality Big Sycamore Canyon State Park, Ventura County, California, USA (United States) (ssp californica)
Don DesJardin 30 September 2007 5 years ago 21 sec 4.1 -
An adult feeding from a fence post and then perched on a pipe Locality Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA (United States) (ssp oocieptica)
Greg Baker 20 May 1998 49 weeks ago 40 sec 4 -
An adult perched on overhead wires Locality Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA (United States) (ssp oocieptica)
Greg Baker 20 May 1998 49 weeks ago 25 sec 4 -
An adult preening Locality Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, California, USA (United States) (ssp caurina)
Greg Baker 22 May 1998 48 weeks ago 30 sec 3.7 -
A lateral view of an adult perched and looking around Locality Ventura, Ventura County, California, USA (United States) (ssp californica)
Don DesJardin 29 February 2008 5 years ago 31 sec 3.7 -
An adult on a branch and flying away Locality California, USA (United States) (ssp obscura)
Don DesJardin 30 June 2006 6 years ago 17 sec 3.7 -
An adult bird perched and looking around, front sight Locality Ventura County, California, USA (United States) (ssp californica)
Don DesJardin 31 October 2002 5 years ago 17 sec 3.6 -
An adult with food in its beak on a metal post Locality Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California, USA (United States)
Cagan H Sekercioglu 9 years ago 28 sec 3 -
A bird moving in dense vegetation. Locality Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca State, Mexico (Southern) (ssp remota)
Josep del Hoyo 19 April 2009 3 years ago 20 sec 2
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