Blue and Steller's Jays (Cyanocitta cristata and C. stelleri) have always
seemed to me like a perfect example of the results of speciation, some
ancestral jay (what did it look like?) having split into eastern and
western halves perhaps 10^5^ to 10^6 years ago, leaving two species that
occupy similar positions in their communities. It'll be interesting to
see what happens as their ranges come to overlap more. Easterners know
C. cristata as a familiar bird of deciduous woods and human habitations;
C. stelleri is more a bird of the conifers. But their food requirements
are probably very similar. (Does anyone have good information about
their foods offhand? All my bird reference books are at home.) Are
their niches distinct enough for them to coexist? And what's enabling
the Blue Jay to expand its range? Is it because of more human
habitations, with appropriate trees, filling in the Great Plains?

Burt Guttman guttmanb at elwha.evergreen.edu
The Evergreen State College Voice: 360-866-6000, x. 6755
Olympia, WA 98505 FAX: 360-866-6794

Reunite Gondwana!