Steller's Jay

Description:

The Steller's Jay is a striking bird with deep blue and black plumage and a long, shaggy crest. The front of its body is black, and the rear is deep blue. The black extends midway down its back and down its breast. It has faint, dark barring on its wings. Adults have blue vertical 'eyebrows' above each eye. The juvenile appears similar to the adult, but has a slightly browner head and lacks the blue eyebrows of the adult. The inland form has a small white patch over the eye.

Habitat:

Pine forest at Angel Fire, new Mexico.

Notes:

I took these photos near a house at Angel Fire. There were no feeders in sight, but something attracted the jays. There were literally dozens of Steller's Jays both on the ground and in the trees around it.