California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)

The vibrant blue color on these birds is actually light refracting through microstructures in the feather barbs rather than pigment. When backlit these feathers appear plain gray. Formerly known as Western Scrub-Jay, these familiar brightly colored coastal Scrub-Jays were recognized as a separate species in 2016 from the duller Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay of the Great Basin. Our coastal birds prefer oak woodland and chaparral habitat where they specialize in acorns; interior birds specialize in Pinion Pine seeds which they extract with their more pointed, less hooked bill. Prior to 2016, both species were combined under the name "Western Scrub-Jay." The whitish undertail coverts are characteristic of the race "oocleptica" sometimes treated as a junior synonym of nominate.