Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma woodhouseii
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 10,655
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
Description
Woodhouse's scrub jay (Aphelocoma[a] woodhouseii) is a species of scrub jay native to western North America, ranging from southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho to central Mexico. Woodhouse's scrub jay was until recently considered the same species as the California scrub jay, and collectively called the western scrub jay. Prior to that both of them were also considered the same species as the island scrub jay and the Florida scrub jay; the taxon was then called simply the scrub jay. Woodhouse's scrub jay is nonmigratory and can be found in urban areas, where it can become tame and will come to bird feeders. While many refer to scrub jays as "blue jays", the blue jay is a different species of bird entirely. Woodhouse's scrub jay is named for the American naturalist and explorer Samuel Washington Woodhouse.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Woodhouse's scrub jay”.