>I recall having read somewhere (... the definitive authority!) that Gray
>Jays stored fat not on their persons but in caches in the ground, etc.,
>to which they returned in the winter. Nutcrackers apparently store seeds
>likewise. Do Steller's Jays also? Is there anything special then about
>Gray Jay food storage behaviors?
>
>Gene.

That's funny; as a long-time bird preparator, I assumed you meant on their
bodies! Gray Jays store a lot of stuff, as do most if not all
temperate-zone corvids. However, seeds do not appear to be among what they
store for the most part. A study done in Alaska indicated that berries (of
course, including their seeds), arthropods, and mushrooms were the main
items cached for the winter. Small mammals, berries, and arthropods were
among the primary dietary items for adults in general. Gray Jays are
quintessential caching birds; they actually have sticky saliva with which
to deposit items all over the place.

They *do* store fat on their bodies at times, at least those in Alaska.
Maybe the ones in our mountains aren't all that stressed in winter!

Probably the larger bills of Steller's and other jays fit them better for
extracting seeds from various sources (including conifer cones), which may
be one of the primary mechanisms for avoiding competition between the 2
species. Watch the Steller's Jays at your feeder carry away beaksful of
unshelled sunflower seeds; they literally shovel them in.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416