Canada Jay
Canada Jay has surged: up 624% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
About the Canada Jay
The Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) is a North American member of the Crows, Jays & Magpies (Corvidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 10–27.5 in long (25–70 cm) — a medium to large songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 475 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 18 states, most concentrated in the Northern Rockies.
- Family
- Corvidae · Forest birds
Notable Canada Jay Trends
No notable trend signals for Canada Jay. See the full index history below.
Canada Jay Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Canada Jay is projected to rise about 76% by 2029 — from 0.17 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.30 (95% range 0.17–0.42). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±54.1%, with 60% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.28 | 0.16 | 0.40 |
| 2026 | 0.28 | 0.16 | 0.41 |
| 2027 | 0.29 | 0.17 | 0.41 |
| 2028 | 0.29 | 0.17 | 0.41 |
| 2029 | 0.30 | 0.17 | 0.42 |
Where the Canada Jay Is Detected
BBS routes recording Canada Jay, sized by most recent count.
Canada Jay Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +9% | 1975 | 88 |
| Arizona | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| California | -42% | 1977 | 13 |
| Colorado | +47% | 1971 | 43 |
| Idaho | +45% | 1972 | 28 |
| Maine | -47% | 1976 | 36 |
| Michigan | -50% | 1974 | 21 |
| Minnesota | +35% | 1970 | 25 |
| Montana | -36% | 1970 | 31 |
| New Hampshire | +58% | 1975 | 3 |
| New York | -2% | 1988 | 7 |
| Oregon | -26% | 1970 | 68 |
| South Dakota | +259% | 1971 | 14 |
| Utah | -89% | 1979 | 14 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Washington | +162% | 1973 | 43 |
| Wisconsin | -72% | 1973 | 10 |
| Wyoming | -93% | 1970 | 29 |
Canada Jay Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | +11% | 1987 | 8 |
| BCR 4 | +44% | 1976 | 68 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +30% | 1970 | 60 |
| Great Basin | +26% | 1970 | 40 |
| Northern Rockies | -31% | 1970 | 117 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -10% | 1970 | 56 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -11% | 1969 | 46 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +152% | 1970 | 57 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +42% | 1971 | 17 |
Canada Jay Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 624% since 1969.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.