BREEDING BIRDS: SCRUB JAY (Aphelocoma coerulescens)

Description: Characterized by basic blue body; back is bluish-gray with a brownish-gray patch between the wings; long blue tail; whitish throat with blue necklace; blue head without crest; black mask on cheeks and over eyes.

Habitat: Commonly found in suburban areas around scrub oaks and chaparral.

Diet: Mostly insects; occasionally some invertebrates and vertebrates including bird eggs, fledglings and nestlings; nuts, seeds, fruit and acorns in nonbreeding season.

Notes: Long-term pair bond, pair or flock remain year-long residents on permanent territory; steal from acorn woodpecker caches; female is fed by male before and during incubation.

Nest: Usually nests in small shrubs and evergreens; cup of grass lined with fine rootlets and hair supported by platform of twigs.

Eggs: Pale green with reddish brown or green markings; a little over an inch long.

Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas, call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160.

Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).

Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.