Aphelocoma woodhouseii
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Woodhouse's scrub jay (Aphelocoma[a] woodhouseii) is a species of scrub jay native to western North America, ranging from southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho to central Mexico. Woodhouse's scrub jay was until recently considered the same species as the California scrub jay, and collectively called the western scrub jay. Prior to that both of them were also considered the same species as the island scrub jay and the Florida scrub jay; the taxon was then called simply the scrub jay. Woodhouse's scrub jay is nonmigratory and can be found in urban areas, where it can become tame and will come to bird feeders. While many refer to scrub jays as "blue jays", the blue jay is a different species of bird entirely. Woodhouse's scrub jay is named for the American naturalist and explorer Samuel Washington Woodhouse.
Woodhouse's scrub jay is a medium-sized bird, approximately 27–31 cm (11–12 in) in length (including its tail), with a 39 cm (15 in) wingspan, and about 80 g (2.8 oz) in weight. The species has a blue head, wings, and tail; a gray-brown back; and grayish underparts. The throat is whitish with a partial blue breast band ("necklace"). The call is described as "harsh... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 2,136 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 183 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay in Zion National Park on a given day, against about 40% in July, the lowest month. That is one of Zion National Park's wettest months, with about 55 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay sightings, Zion National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 50%).
Same family: Corvidae
The closest relatives of the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay that you can see in Zion National Park (family Corvidae, Crows, Jays, and Magpies) are Common Raven (about 70%), Steller's Jay (about 30%) and Pinyon Jay (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay is recorded against all the birds logged in Zion National Park (2,136 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
