The Canada jay, also known as the grey jay, gray jay, camp robber, moose bird, gorby, or whisky jack, is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae. It is found in boreal forests of North America, north to the tree line, and in the Rocky Mountains subalpine zone south to New Mexico and Arizona. A fairly large songbird, the Canada jay has pale grey underparts, darker grey upperparts, and a grey-white head with a darker grey nape. It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, a genus more closely related to the magpie genus Cyanopica than to other birds known as jays. The Canada jay itself has nine recognized subspecies.
Region
North American boreal and subalpine forests
Typical Environment
Occurs across the boreal forest from Alaska and the Yukon east to Newfoundland and Labrador, and south in the United States in high-elevation spruce–fir and mixed conifer forests of the Rockies and isolated ranges to Arizona and New Mexico. Prefers mature conifer stands, especially spruce, fir, and pine, with abundant natural cavities and rough bark for caching. Uses edges, burns, and boggy black spruce habitats, and readily visits campgrounds and backcountry cabins. It is scarce or absent from large treeless expanses and heavily urbanized zones. Local movements may occur in response to food availability and severe weather.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3500 m
Climate Zone
Continental
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Canada jays cache food using sticky saliva to glue small parcels under bark or in crevices, allowing them to survive harsh winters. They often nest in late winter, even when snow is still deep, timing chick-rearing to spring food pulses. Bold and inquisitive, they readily approach humans at campsites, earning nicknames like 'camp robber' and 'whisky jack.' The name 'whisky jack' derives from the Algonquian trickster figure Wisakedjak.
Subspecies P. c. capitalis, Grand Tetons, Wyoming
Subspecies P. c. capitalis (left) and P. c. obscurus (right); illustration by Keulemans, 1877
Perisoreus canadensis obscurus in Mount Rainier National Park
Grey, sooty plumage of a juvenile
Female incubating her eggs
A hatchling
Pair of jays feeding their nestlings
A bold Canada jay, typical of those individuals accustomed to humans
Temperament
bold, curious, and opportunistic
Flight Pattern
short, buoyant flights with glides
Social Behavior
Typically found in territorial pairs with offspring, often engaging in cooperative breeding where a helper assists the dominant pair. They cache thousands of food items within their territory and defend key cache sites. Nesting begins in late winter, with well-insulated nests built in dense conifers.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, breathy whistles and murmurs, interspersed with harsh scolding notes when alarmed. Song is subdued and contact-oriented rather than musical, carrying lightly through coniferous forests.
