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I am interested in social evolution in jay societies and how this is shaped by constraints in their environment. A series of students and I will investigate mechanisms behind the complex social system and ecological relationships that drive the distribution and dynamics of the local jay population. Jays are wonderful focal animals because they are conspicuous, and travel in pairs and family groups, allowing students to practice monitoring skills. Jays in the HSU population live here all year around, allowing us to establish a very detailed investigation. Several birds have been fitted with color bands enabling us to track individuals across habitats and through lifetimes. Students will be encouraged to record the location and behavior of individually marked jays. In particular, participation will be encouraged from students in Wildlife Techniques 311, and Wildlife Ethology 475.
| Information for Wildlife Ethology students (extra credit) |
If you are unable to pursue the extra-credit concerning social units in Canada Goose flocks you are encouraged to study the individually color-banded Steller’s Jays. Participation is especially encouraged for those of you that live within the study site from Diamond Drive (north of campus) to Fickle Hill Road (south of campus).
Study goal - The goal of this exercise is to practice identifying behavioral cues for determining the mating system in this jay society. Steller’s Jays appear to concentrate their daily activity around a "home" site where they roost each night, but much of the day is spent foraging in adjacent redwoods or gathering in larger social groups. Each pair (and associated full-grown offspring) vary in the amount of time they spend together; some pairs always travel together and others rarely do. Groups of pairs can be seen together in larger social groups, and there is little overlap between groups across the study site.
Your goal - By gathering multiple resightings of the same individuals it is possible to build a picture of each bird’s association with mates and neighbors and their use of the landscape across the study area. Once you find a banded bird it will be possible to resight it on its home range each day. Each 5 resightings records (including information on associates and locations) will count as one point. There are only 10 banded birds, but Dr Black will capture more birds this semester.
Jay behavior - With practice you will find that paired birds give particular calls when they are near to each other, and that they follow/chase intruders within their territory. Pair members may be seen display-dancing along a branch or wire. During large social gatherings each pair maintains proximity while calling loudly in the group display.
Plumage and size variation - At this time of year (in the fall) most adults are molting so they may look a bit scruffy. By comparison young jays have their full set of blue feathers but their bib is quite grey, rather than black as is found in fully molted adults. When two or more birds are seen together males are generally larger than females; young jays are now full size. | Reporting color band sightings of Steller's Jays |
Color bands – Each bird is fitted with four bands - two on each leg. Three of the four are color bands and one is the USFWS metal band. The order of the bands is recorded from the right leg to the left leg and from bottom band to the top band. An example using codes for different colors, would be MW/RP. This bird is metal (bottom), white (top) on the right leg, and red (bottom), purple (top) on the left leg. The possible colors and codes are: W=white, BL=black, R=red/rose, P=purple, O=orange, LB=light-blue, G=green. The data to include for each record: - Bird’s color code
- Size of social group seen at the same time
- Associates’ color codes (or if unbanded = UNB; or not determined = NOTD)
- Number of times associates came within 3 meters of each other
- Approximate time spent within 3 meter distance (e.g. 2 seconds, 15 sec, etc.)
- Total time you watched the birds (e.g. 5 minutes, 10 min, etc.)
- Time of day; start of observation (e.g. 1935)
- Date (e.g. 9.30.99)
- Location of observation (e.g. Rewood Bowl SW corner west bleachers. And state whether the bird was seen at a birdfeeder or in trees, etc)
- Comments (e.g. deformed leg, feather tuft on back, etc.)
Example of two complete records: - MW/RP, 2 birds, UNB, twice, 3s and 30s, 15 min, 1015, 10.2.99, trees east corner Wildlife Building, pair display/dancing
- MLB/OP, 1 bird, -, -, -, 1 min, 0755, 10.4.99, feeder north Wildlife Building, tuft of feathers on back
Questions - Share your first few records with Dr Black to make sure of validity. See Dr Black if you are able to assist with additional captures.
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