Island Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma insularis)
About the Island Scrub Jay
The island scrub jay (Aphelocoma insularis), also known as the island jay or Santa Cruz jay, is a bird in the genus Aphelocoma, which is endemic to Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Southern California. Of the over 500 breeding bird species in the continental U.S. and Canada, it is the only insular endemic landbird species, meaning it is restricted to a geographical island. The island scrub jay is closely related to the California scrub jay (the coastal population found on the adjacent mainland), but differs in being larger, more brightly colored, and having a markedly stouter bill. They will bury, or cache, the acorns in the fall and may eat them months later. They also eat insects, spiders, snakes, lizards, mice and other birds' eggs and nestlings.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 13 recordings for this species: 7 CC BY-NC-SA · 6 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in United States in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- California Scrub JayAphelocoma californicarecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.