Pinyon Jay
Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
Perching
Length: 10 in. (27 cm )
A specialist on Pinyon Pine seeds, the Pinyon Jay rarely wanders far from this habitat during the breeding season. It is almost always found in flocks, sometimes up to a hundred or more individuals. It also nests colonially, and the bulky platform nest is made of twigs and bark and lined with bark and hair. Young are fed insects, bird eggs and nestlings of other bird species. All summer long thousands of Pinyon Pine seeds are cached through out the forest and serve as a primary food source throughout the winter. In years of poor seed production, large flocks of Pinyon Jays wander widely to lower altitudes.
The four-digit banding code is PIJA.
Male |
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Oak-pine woodland
Savanna
Shrubs
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https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/pinyon-jay
Bibliographic details:
- Article: Pinyon Jay
- Author(s): Dr. Biology
- Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
- Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
- Date published: 13 Jul, 2017
- Date accessed: 25 May, 2025
- Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/pinyon-jay
APA Style
Dr. Biology. (Thu, 07/13/2017 - 15:37). Pinyon Jay. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/pinyon-jay
American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/
Chicago Manual of Style
Dr. Biology. "Pinyon Jay". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/pinyon-jay
For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/04/
MLA 2017 Style
Dr. Biology. "Pinyon Jay". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/pinyon-jay
Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
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