Latin name: Pertsoreus Canadensis
Yupik name: Neqaig, Kisirallerr
Gray Jays are tame, dusky-plumaged residents
of montane and boreal forests, well known for their habit of
turning up at picnic tables and campgrounds in their bold search
for food. This Jay has a characteristic flight that is straight
and direct, its rapid wingbeats alternating with sustained glides.
Because these jays are usually silent, they can be difficult to
spot even though they are relatively common and widespread.
Nonetheless, they are capable of a wide variety of notes that can
give pause to even an experienced birder. One seldom finds a lone
Gray Jay in the woods; these birds always seem to wander in pairs
or small groups.
Description
10-13" (25.5-33 cm). The adult Gray Jay
is uniformly gray on the back, wings, and tail, and white on the
crown, cheeks, and throat; there is a distinct black patch on the
nape that extends up to the crown and into the eyes. Juveniles are
distinct, with uniformly dark gray, almost blackish, plumage; most
also have a distinct white whisker mark.
Voice
Usually silent, but gives a wide variety of
whistles and chattering notes; these phrases are usually short and
soft.
Similar Species
See Clark's Nutcracker and Northern Shrike
(only other gray, black, and white birds in Gray Jay's
range).
Range
Resident from tree line of Alaska, Yukon,
Mackenzie, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Labrador
south to northern California, Arizona, northern New Mexico, Black
Hills of South Dakota, northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
Michigan; also in northern New York, Maine, New
Brunswick,
Christmastime Tales
Stories real and imaginary about Christmas, Slavik, and the New Year
Winter, 1996 |
Christmastime Tales II
Stories about Christmas, Slavik, and the New Year
Winter, 1998 |
Christmastime Tales III
Stories about Christmas, Slavik, and the New Year
Winter, 2000 |
| Summer Time Tails 1992 |
Summertime Tails II 1993 |
Summertime Tails III |
| Summertime Tails IV Fall, 1995 |
Summertime Tails V Fall, 1996 |
Summertime Tails VI Fall, 1997 |
| Summertime Tails VII Fall, 1999 |
Signs of the Times November 1996 |
Creative Stories From Creative Imaginations |
| Mustang Mind Manglers - Stories of the Far Out,
the Frightening and the Fantastic 1993 |
Yupik Gourmet - A Book of
Recipes |
|
| M&M Monthly |
|
|
| Happy Moose Hunting! September Edition 1997 |
Happy Easter! March/April 1998 |
Merry Christmas December Edition 1997 |
| Happy Valentine’s
Day! February Edition
1998 |
Happy Easter! March/April Edition 2000 |
Happy Thanksgiving Nov. Edition, 1997 |
| Happy Halloween October 1997 Edition |
Edible and Useful Plants of Scammon
Bay |
Edible Plants of Hooper Bay 1981 |
| The Flowers of Scammon Bay Alaska |
Poems of Hooper Bay |
Scammon Bay (Upward Bound Students) |
| Family Trees and the Buzzy Lord |
It takes a Village - A guide for parents May 1997 |
People in Our Community |
| Buildings and Personalities of
Marshall |
Marshall Village PROFILE |
Qigeckalleq Pellullermeng ‘A
Glimpse of the Past’ |
| Raven’s
Stories Spring 1995 |
Bird Stories from Scammon Bay |
The Sea Around Us |
| Ellamyua - The Great Weather - Stories about the
Weather Spring 1996 |
Moose Fire - Stories and Poems about Moose November,
1998 |
Bears Bees and Bald Eagles Winter 1992-1993 |
| Fish Fire and Water - Stories about fish, global warming
and the future November, 1997 |
Wolf Fire - Stories and Poems about Wolves |
Bear Fire - Stories and Poems about Bears Spring,
1992 |
Marshall
Cultural Atlas
