[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 19.5 in.]

This Mexican Jay was photographed at Cave Creek (South Fork Trail), Portal, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: June 24, 2013)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 19.5 in.]

This immature Mexican Jay was photographed at Cave Creek (South Fork Trail), Portal, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: June 24, 2013)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 19.5 in.]

A speciality breeding bird of southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and Big Bend National Park in Texas, the Mexican Jay resembles the much more widespread Western Scrub-Jay. It lacks the white eyebrow and throat patch of the Scrub-Jay. This "Texas" Mexican Jay was photographed along the Boot Springs trail in Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a 300 f4 Nikkor EDAF lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1993)

[Length 10.5 in. Wingspan 19 in.]

This Pinyon Jay was photographed at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II] lens (EFL=300mm) on a Nikon D7000 camera. (Date: September 23, 2011)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 19 in.]

This "Pacific" Steller's Jay was photographed at Santa Anita Canyon near Los Angeles, California, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Ektachrome 200 film. (Date: August 1983)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 19 in.]

This Steller's Jay was photographed at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II] lens (EFL=300mm) on a Nikon D7000 camera. (Date: September 22, 2011)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 19 in.]

This Steller's Jay was photographed at Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 500mm f8.0 mirror lens on Ektachrome 800 film. (Date: June 1986)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 19 in.]

The Steller's Jay is the common western counterpart of the eastern Blue Jay. It's vibrant blue back, tail, and underparts contrast with its dark gray shoulders, black head, and jaunty black crest. The raspy "SHAACK SHAACK" calls of Steller's Jays often announce their presence long before they are seen. They occur throughout foothills, mountains, and coniferous forests in the western US, southwestern Canada, and along the extreme southern Alaskan coast. In winter they withdraw from the higher elevations of their range. This one was photographed at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: July 1980)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 19 in.]

This Steller's Jay was photographed at the mountaintop restaurant, Sandia Crest, New Mexico, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: March 3, 2008)