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Range.—Western North America and Central America south to Nicaragua; nonmigratory.

The range of Steller’s jay extends north to Alaska (Lake Aleknagik and Northeast Bay); British Columbia (Flood Glacier, Poison Mountain, Parsnip River, Moose River, and Yoho Park); and Montana (McDonald Lake and Big Snowy Mountains). East to central Montana (Big Snowy Mountains); Wyoming (Yellowstone Park and Torrington); central Colorado (Fort Collins and Colorado Springs); New Mexico (Halls Peak, Capitan Mountains, and Guadalupe Mountains); western Texas (Guadalupe Mountains and Davis Mountains); Chihuahua (Tomochic and Pinos Altos); Durango (La Ciénaga de las Vacas and Arroyo del Buey); Veracruz (Mirador and Orizaba); Honduras (Seguatepeque and San Juancito); and southeastern Nicaragua (Greytown). South to Nicaragua (Grey town); El Salvador (Chalatenango); and Guatemala (Tecpam and Volcán de Fuego). West to western Guatemala (Volcán de Fuego and Quelzatenango); western Oaxaca (Cieneguilla); western Sonora (Sonoyta); casually northern Baja California (San Pedro Mártir Mountains); western California (Palomar Mountains, Santa Barbara, Santa Lucia Mountains, San Geronimo, and Turner); western Oregon (Pinehurst, Prospect, and Dayton); western Washington (Camas, Grays Harbor, and Seattle); western British Columbia (Nootka Sound and Massett); and Alaska (Baranof Island, Sitka, and Lake Aleknagik).

The range as outlined is for the entire species, which has been separated into eight currently recognized geographic races. The northern part of the range along the Pacific coast (except the Queen Charlotte Islands) is occupied by the typical race (Cyanocitta s. stelleri) from the Alaskan Peninsula south, probably to northwestern Oregon; the Queen Charlotte jay (C. s. carlottae) is found only on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia; the coast jay (C. s. carbonacea) occupies the coastal zone from northern Oregon south to the Santa Lucia Mountains and Napa Valley in California; the blue-fronted jay (C. s. frontalis) is found from the Mount Shasta region of northeastern California, south through the Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Mountains to northern Baja California; the black-headed jay (C. s. annectens) occurs in eastern British Columbia and south through the Rocky Mountains to Wyoming, Idaho, and casually northern Utah; the long-crested jay (C. s. diademata) is the form found in the Rocky Mountain system from northern Utah and southern Wyoming south to central Mexico; the Aztec jay (C. s. azteca) is found in south-central Mexico; and the blue-crested jay (C. s. coronata) occurs from southern Mexico south to Nicaragua.

The Nevada crested jay (percontatrix) is found in the Sheep and Charleston Mountains, Clark County, Nevada.

Casual records.—Among the cases where Steller’s jays have been recorded outside the normal range are the following: There are a few records for western Nebraska, some of which have been recorded as the race annectens, but two specimens, one taken at Mitchell in October 1916 and the other at Oshkosh on March 5, 1920, proved to be diademata. A specimen (annectens) was taken at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, on May 24, 1923; one (diademata) was shot in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Ill., on June 12, 1911; and a specimen (diademata) was taken at Cap Rouge, Quebec, on November 8, 1926.

Egg dates.—Alaska: 3 records, May 12 (2) and July 7.

California: 103 records, April 12 to June 24; 51 records, April 30 to May 15, indicating the height of the season.

Colorado: 29 records, April 23 to June 3; 15 records, May 8 to 24.

New Mexico: 4 records, April 27 to June 6.

Oregon: 16 records, April 4 to June 5; 8 records, April 11 to May 4.

Washington: 20 records, April 1 to June 20; 10 records, April 19 to May 3.