Canada Jay is a medium-sized songbird, previously known as the Gray Jay. This bird is an omnivore as it eats seeds, nuts, berries, mice, insects, baby birds, and insects. They catch their food and visit bird feeders. They have even landed on people’s hands to eat the food there. This bird does not migrate, so it stores food in trees for the cold, dark winter months.

The Canada Gray’s range is mostly Alaska, Canada, and large sections of the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado. It is found in Yellowstone National Park where all of these pictures were taken.

The Canada Jays live in evergreen forests, preferring spruce and mixed evergreen—deciduous forests. They also like the high mountain ranges of the West.

The Canada Jays of the Rocky Mountains are paler than their northern brethren.

Paleontologists have found and identified two Canada Jays from 18,000 years ago in a cave in Tennessee.

This small 2.5-ounce bird does not migrate, spending its winters in the extreme cold of the mountains and Canada. How do they survive in that weather?

This Jay has thick, fluffy plumage. It will puff up in cold weather, enveloping its legs and feet. Warm feathers also cover the nostrils. The bird must have sufficient food to survive the brutal winters. It needs to eat 47 calories a day. The Canada Jay has a strategy to cover its winter dining needs. They have a sticky saliva they use to coat and attach food to the crevices of trees. They will also attach their saliva coat food to lichen, which has antibiotic properties. They place their food above the expected snow line.

Where most birds nest in the spring and summer, the Canada Jay nests in the late winter. The weather could drop below minus 20°F.

The Canada Jay is a wonderful example of a bird that defies logic by surviving brutal winters. It is fun to watch as it moves around in its environment. Look for it when you come to Yellowstone National Park.