General Description: Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii), formerly the interior subspecies of the Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica), are blue-and-gray jays without crests that live in the Great Basin region. The head, wings, and tail are blue. The upper back is brown, and the belly is gray. The throat and upper breast are white, bordered by blue to form what is referred to as a "necklace."

Recent genetic work (Gowen et al., 2014, BMC Evolutionary Biology 14:135) has shown that there are two species of "Western" Scrub-Jays: California, Woodhouse's, and perhaps a third in Southern Mexico. Around Las Vegas, we have Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay; and in the Pacific states, they have California Scrub-Jay. There is also an intergrade zone near Lake Tahoe.

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays, in comparison with California Scrub-Jays, are identified (on average) by pale blue plumage, small and pale blue collar, pale eyestripe, dark undertail coverts, and a small, straight bill. California Scrub-Jays, in comparison, have bold blue plumage, a large and dark blue collar, a bold eyestripe, pale undertail coverts, and a large, hooked bill.

Taxonomy: Passeriformes, Corvidae.

Favored Habitat: Middle-elevation deserts and mountains. Common in the Pinyon-Juniper life zone.

Where to Find: Look for Scrub-Jays in the higher parts of Red Rock Canyon NCA such as Willow Springs Picnic Area, and look for them in the middle-elevation areas of Mt. Charleston and Basin and Range National Monument.

Comments: These are the noisy blue camp robbers seen at middle elevations.