Aphelocoma californica

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,043 meters (0 to 13,264 feet).[1]

Ecology: List of Habitats :

•     1     Forest   
  
•     1.7     Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level   
  
•     1.9     Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane   
  
•     3     Shrubland   
  
•     3.5     Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry   
  
•     3.8     Shrubland - Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation   
  
•     14     Artificial/Terrestrial   
  
•     14.4     Artificial/Terrestrial - Rural Gardens   
[more info]

Biology

Diet

Mostly: Nuts Seeds. Lesser Quantities of: Insects Eggs Reptiles or Amphibians .

Reproduction

• Breeding Habitat : Successional-scrub
• Nest Location: Ground-low nesting
• Nest Type: Open-cup
• Clutch Size: 2-5
• Length of Incubation : 15-17? days
• Days to Fledge : 18-19
• Number of Broods: 1, rarely 2

Migration

Nonmigratory

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Similar Species

Pinyon Jay, Mexican Jay

Members of the genus Aphelocoma

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 17 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. california (Western Scrub-Jay) · A. californica (Florida Scrub-Jay) · A. californica californica (Western Scrub-Jay) · A. californica cana (Eagle Mountain Scrub Jay) · A. californica nevadae (Nevada Scrub Jay) · A. californica oocleptica (Nicasio Scrub Jay) · A. coerulescens (Desert California Jay) · A. coerulescens cactophila (Scrub Jay) · A. coerulescens coerulescens (Florida Scrub Jay) · A. coerulescens nevadae (Scrub Jay) · A. coerulescens woodhousei (Scrub Jay) · A. insularis (Island Scrub Jay) · A. ultramarina (Grey-Breasted Jay) · A. ultramarina arizonae (Gray-Breasted Jay) · A. ultramarina ultramarina (Gray-Breasted Jay) · A. unicolor (Unicoloured Jay) · A. unicolor unicolor (Unicoloured Jay)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A first book upon the birds of Oregon and Washington; a pocket guide and pupil's assistant in a study of most of the land birds and a few of the water birds of these states. By William Rogers Lord. Portland, Ore., W. R. Lord, 1913 [c1902] url p. 274.
• A manual of North American birds. By Robert Ridgway. Illustrated by 464 outline drawings of the generic characters. Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott company, 1896. url p. 600.
• A manual of North American birds. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1900. url , p. 600, p. 638.
• A-birding on a bronco, by Florence A. Merriam. Boston, Houghton, Mifflin, 1896. url , p. ix.
• American birds studied and photographed from life, New York, C. Scribner's Sons, 1907. url .
• American birds, studied and photographed from life, by William Lovell Finley; illustrated from photographs by Herman T. Bohlman and the author. New York, C. Scribner's sons, 1907. url p. 171.
• Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. url p. 66.
• Annual report of the Laguna Marine Laboratory / Pomona College. Claremont, Calif.: Dept. of Biology, Pomona College, 1912- url p. 176, p. 191.
• Bird migration in the Mississippi Valley / by W.W. Cooke and Otto Widman [i.e. Widmann] [Chicago?]: The American Field, 1883. url p. 47.
• Bird news. San Francisco: Avicultural Society of California, [1909] url p. 5.
• Bird notes. Brighton: Foreign Bird Club: 1902-1925. url p. 155.
• Birds of California: an introduction to more than three hundred common birds of the state and adjacent islands, with a supplementary list of rare migrants, accidental visitants, and hypothetical subspecies / Chicago: A.C. McClurg, 1912, c1903. url .
• Birds of California; an introduction to more than three hundred common birds of the state and adjacent islands, with a supplementary list of rare migrants, accidental visitants, and hypothetical subspecies, Chicago, A.C. McClurg, 1916. url , .
• Birds of the Northwest: a hand-book of the ornithology of the region drained by the Missouri River and its tributaries. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1874. url .
• Birds of the Pacific coast, including a brief account of the distribution and habitat of one hundred and eighteen birds that are more or less common to the Pacific coast states and British Columbia, many of which are found east by Willard Ayres Eliot; with fifty-six color plates, by R. Bruce Horsfall. 1923 New York, G. P. Putnam's sons, 1923. url p. 190.
• Birds of the world; a popular account. With a chapter on the anatomy of birds, by Frederic A. Lucas; the whole edited by Robert Ridgway. New York, Holt, 1909. url p. 850.
• Birds; a miscellaneous collection of 37 pamphlets about birds. Collected and privately bound by Alvin Seale, 1914. v.p., 1910-1913 url p. 34, p. 50.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url , p. 107, p. 327, p. 329, p. 330, p. 331, p. 483, p. 487, p. 490, p. 775, p. 782.
• Bulletin / U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology. Washington: G.P.O., 1904-1916. url p. 107.
• Bulletin of the California Academy of Sciences. [S.l.: The Academy], 1884- url p. 422, p. 427.
• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, 1863- url p. 124, p. 124, p. 229, p. 234, p. 234, p. 236, p. 236.
• Bulletin. California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco. San Francisco url p. 422, p. 427.
• California fish and game. [San Francisco, etc.]: State of California, Resources Agency, Dept. of Fish and Game. url p. 207, p. 220.
• Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands in Field Museum of Natural History. by Charles E. Hellmayr. 13 1934 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1934. url p. 51, p. 55.
• Catalogue of scientific papers (1800-1900) Comp. by the Royal society of London. Cambridge, C. J. Clay and sons, 1867-1902; url p. 640.
• Catalogue of scientific papers, 1800-1900. Compiled by the Royal Society of London. London, C.J. Clay and Sons, 1867-1902 [etc.] Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1914-25. url p. 640.
• Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. London, 1874-98. url p. 112.
• Catalogue of the Collection of Birds' Eggs in the British Museum / By E. W. Oates [and afterwards] by S. G. Reid [and] W. R. Ogilvie-Grant. London, 1901-12. url p. 496, p. 497.
• Catalogue of the collection of birds' eggs in the British Museum (Natural History) London, Printed by order of the Trustees, 1901-12. url p. 496, p. 497.
• Check-list of North American birds / prepared by a committee of the American ornithologists' union. Lancaster, Pa.: The Union, 1931. url p. 499, p. 507, p. 521, p. 525.
• Check-list of North American birds, New York, American ornithologists' union, 1910. url , .
• Check-list of North American birds: according to the canons of nomenclature of the American Ornithologists' Union. [s.l.]: The Union, 1889. url , p. 42.
• Color key to North American birds, with bibliographical appendix, by Frank M. Chapman. .. with upwards of 800 drawings, by Chester A. Reed, B.S. New York, D. Appleton & Company, 1912. url p. 184, p. 184, p. 334.
• Color key to North American birds; with bibliographical appendix. New York, D. Appleton, 1912. url .
• Contributions to avian palaeontology from the Pacific coast of North America, by Loye Holmes Miller. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1912. url p. 84.
• Evolution of the colors of North American Land Birds, by Charles A. Keeler. San Francisco, California academy of sciences, 1893. url p. 186.
• First annual report of the Laguna Marine Laboratory at Laguna Beach, Orange County, California. Claremont, Calif., Dept. of Biology, Pomona College, 1912. url p. 176, p. 191.
• Genera insectorum / publiés par P. Wytsman. Bruxelles, L. Desmet-Verteneuil [etc.]1902-1970. url p. 12.
• Handbook of birds of the western United States, including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande valley, by Florence Merriam Bailey, with thirty-three full-page plates by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and over six hundred cuts in the text. Boston, Houghton, Mifflin and company, 1904. url p. 46, p. 60.
• History of Pasadena, comprising an account of the native Indian, Pasadena, Cal., Pasadena history company, 1895. url p. 596.
• Ibis. [London]Published for the British Ornithologists' Union by Academic Press. url p. 179, p. 26.
• Journal of morphology. Boston: Ginn & Co., [1887-1924] url p. 273.
• Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and Lower California Boston, Estes and Lauriat, 1896. url p. 901.
• Land birds of the Pacific district / by Lyman Belding. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, 1890. url p. 110, p. 269.
• Land birds of the Pacific district, San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences, 1890. url .
• Life histories of North American birds, from the parrots to the grackles with special reference to their breeding habits and eggs / by Charles Bendire. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1895. url .
• Nests and eggs of North American birds: with a chapter on ornithological and oölogical collecting (the preparation of skins, nests and eggs for the cabinet). Toronto: Musson[1900] url .
• New Mallophaga, 3. Comprising: Mallophaga from birds of Panama, Baja California and Alaska. San FranciscoCalifornia Academy of Sciences1899 url p. 128.
• New York State Museum bulletin. Albany, N.Y.: University of the State of New York, 1916-1944. url p. 85.
• Nomenclature of North American birds chiefly contained in the United States National Museum. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1881. url .
• North American birds eggs, New York, Doubleday, Page & company, 1904. url .
• North American birds eggs, by Chester A. Reed...illustrating the eggs of nearly every species of North American birds. New York, Doubleday, Page & company, 1904. url p. 336.
• North American birds eggs. New York: Dover Pub, [1965]. url p. 336.
• North American fauna. Washington: Fish and Wildlife Service; for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U. S. Govt. Print. Off. url p. 11, p. 119, p. 171, p. 57, p. 70.
• Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, url p. 110, p. 225, p. 269, p. 97.
• Ornithological observations in San Diego County / W. Otto Emerson. San Francisco, 1887 url p. 422, p. 427.
• Ornithologist and oo?logist Pawtucket, R.I. url p. 149.
• Our living world; an artistic edition of the Rev. J. G. Wood's Natural history of animate creation. New York: S. Hess, [1885] url p. 654.
• Pacific coast avifauna / Cooper Ornithnological Club of California. Santa Clara, Calif.: The Club, 1900-1974. url p. 11, p. 157, p. 157, p. 3, p. 3, p. 66, p. 81, p. 9.
• Proceedings - California Academy of Sciences, 4th series. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences. url p. 402.
• Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia url p. 212, p. 212, p. 444, p. 582, p. 582.
• Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 4th series. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences. url p. 277, p. 402, p. 414, p. 422, p. 507, p. 558, p. 579, p. 779.
• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] url p. 1046, p. 185, p. 211, p. 348, p. 422, p. 490, p. 666.
• Random notes on natural history. Providence, R. I.: Southwick & Jencks, [1884-1886] url p. 12.
• Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Washington, A. O. P. Nicholson, printer [etc.]1855-60. url .
• Results of a biological survey of Mount Shasta, California, Washington, Govt Print. Off., 1899. url , , .
• Results of a biological survey of mount Shasta, California, by C. Hart Merriam, chief of Divison of Biological Survey. Washington, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Div. of Biological Survey: 1899. url p. 171, p. 53.
• Science. New York, N.Y.: [s.n.]1880- url p. 166.
• Smithsonian contributions to knowledge. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1848-1916. url , p. 374, p. 379, p. 513.
• Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. 22 1882 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. url p. 185, p. 392, p. 91.
• Special bulletin / Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1892- url p. 16, p. 374, p. 379, p. 513.
• Supplement to the code of nomenclature and check-list of North American birds. adopted by the American Ornithologists' Union; prepared by a Committee of the Union. New York: The Union, 1889-1920. url p. 11.
• The American oologists' exchange price list of North American birds' eggs, 1922 / compiled by a committee of twenty-five prominent American oologists. Lacon, Ill.: R. Magoon Barnes, 1922. url p. 67.
• The Auk. Washington, D.C.: American Ornithologists' Union, etc., 1884- url , , p. 120, p. 134, p. 167, p. 181, p. 188, p. 222, p. 301, p. 353, p. 362, p. 390, p. 416, p. 450, p. 451, p. 481, p. 490, p. 504, p. 514, p. 516, p. 73, p. 94.
• The Canadian bird book: illustrating in natural colors more than seven hundred north American birds, also several hundred photographs of their nests and eggs / by Chester A. Reed. Toronto: Musson Book Co., c1914. url p. 307.
• The Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url p. 311, p. 682.
• The Journal of the Museum of Comparative Oology. Santa Barbara, Calif.: The Museum, 1919-1922 url p. 27, p. 28, p. 40.
• The Oo?logist for the student of birds, their nests and eggs. Albion, N.Y.: Frank H. Lattin, 1886- url p. 95.
• The Warbler. Floral Park: Mayflower Pub. Co., [1903-1913] url p. 88.
• The West American scientist. San Diego, Calif.: C.R. Orcutt, 1884-1919. url .
• The Wilson bulletin. Columbus, Ohio: Wilson Ornithological Society, 1894- url , p. 3, p. 84.
• The bird book, illustrating in natural colors more than seven hundred North American birds, also several hundred photographs of their nests and eggs, Worcester, Mass., C. K. Reed, 1914. url .
• The bird book: illustrating in natural colors more than seven hundred North American birds, also several hundred photographs of their nests and eggs / by Chester A. Reed, S.B. Worcester, Mass.: C. K. Reed, 1914. url p. 307.
• The birds of North and Middle America: a descriptive catalogue of the higher groups, genera, species, and subspecies of birds known to occur in North America, from the Arctic lands to the Isthmus of Panama, the West Indies and other island Washington: Govt. Print. Off., 1901- url , , , , , , .
• The birds of Washington: a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state / by William Leon Dawson. .. assisted by John Hooper Bowles. .. illustrated by more than 300 original half-tones of birds in life, nests, eggs, and favorite haunts, from photographs by the author and ot Seattle: The Occidental publishing co., 1909. url p. 31.
• The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state, by William Leon Dawson, assisted by John Hooper Bowles. Illustrated by more than 300 original half-tones of birds in life, nests, eggs, and favorite haunts, from photographs by the author and others, Seattle: The Occidental Pub. Co., 1909. url p. 31.
• The book of birds, common birds of town and country and American game birds, by Henry W. Henshaw. Illustrated in natural colors with 250 paintings, by Louis Agassiz Fuertes; with chapters of "Encouraging birds around the home, " by F. H. Kennard; "The mysteries of bird migratio 1918 Washington, D. C.: National Geographic Society, 1918. url p. 24.
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• The code of nomenclature and check-list of North American birds adopted by the American Ornithologists' Union; being the report of the Committee of the Union on Classification and Nomenclature. New York, 1886. url p. 242, p. 242, p. 242.
• The condor. Santa Clara, Calif.: Cooper Ornithological Club, [1900- url , p. 138, p. 202, p. 222, p. 242.
• Timber management: a programmatic environmental analysis record for BLM-administered lands in western Oregon / Office, 1974 url p. 69.
• Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 3 1919 [San Diego]: The Society, 1905-1989. url p. 22, p. 22.
• University of California publications in zoology. Berkeley: University Press, 1906- url p. 406, p. 407, p. 408, p. 411, p. 418, p. 420, p. 421, p. 537.
• Zoe:a biological journal. 2 1891 San Diego, Calif. [etc.]Zoe Publishing Co. url p. 169, p. 363, p. 397.
• Zoology of Colorado, by Theodore D.A. Cockerell. .. Boulder, Col., University of Colorado, 1927. url p. 82.

Notes

Contributors

• BirdLife International 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.
• BirdLife International 2009. Aphelocoma californica. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 30January2012.
• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 10, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 6 providers.
• Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
• Peterson, Alan P. Zoological Nomenclature Resource. Accessed June 19, 2009.
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
• Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
• Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 10, 2008:

• Avian Knowledge Network: eBird
• Avian Knowledge Network: Great Backyard Bird Count
• Avian Knowledge Network: Project FeederWatch
• Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM: CNAV/Coleccion Nacional de Aves
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ): Bird specimens

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3927
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-554128
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13975640
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 554128
• IUCN ID: 191917
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABPAV06040
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 13081

Footnotes

1. Mean = 457.120 meters (1,499.738 feet), Standard Deviation = 628.210 based on 2,113 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.