If a punk rocker could be reincarnated into the body of an animal, it would surely be a Steller’s jay. The Steller’s jay’s eye-catching blue body and wings combined with a sinister black head with a mohawk-like crest is the perfect appearance. They are unafraid to speak up with their raspy voices and are known to cause mayhem among other birds by imitating the calls of birds of prey. Steller’s jays are non-conformists, their markings and crest shape can vary, and they’re not afraid to spend time with other species, especially those cute blue jays from back east.
The Steller’s jay is B.C.’s provincial bird, and I think it is a good choice. In contrast to its elegant and genteel eastern cousin the blue jay, the Steller’s jay is an excellent embodiment of the casual, rebellious, and avant-garde West Coast attitude. If you ask me, the blue jay is overrated. Here in the West, we have the Steller’s jay: a bird that not only has style, but personality as well.
Image: Robert Sweeney/The Cascade
