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Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus) — photo 1 of 6
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Crows and jays · Perching birds

Siberian Jay

Perisoreus infaustus

Year-round

How to recognize it

  • Smaller than a jay

  • Grey-brown body; dark head and wings, rusty tail with a dark central stripe

  • No white wing patches

  • Usually quiet in forest; calls like a low “kuuk-kuuk” or harsh “kzhee-kzhee”

About the species

The Siberian Jay has a quiet, woodland look rather than a flashy one. What sticks in memory is the grey-brown body and the rusty tail, which stands out more in motion than at rest.

Most of the time it stays secretive, but after the breeding season it becomes noisier and easier to notice. Its voice is sharp, with a loud "kjee-kjee" and a low "kuuk-kuuk", and in flight it fans the tail open.

It lives in boreal conifer forests, especially spruce-fir and cedar-larch woodland. It eats seeds, nuts, berries, insects, small rodents, eggs, and carrion, and stores food in trees for winter; in the northern part of its range it shifts south a little in winter.

Where to find

  • In old spruce-rich city forests and large wooded parks — Siberian Jay often gives itself away with a low "kuuuk-kuuuk" call from the canopy and quick hops between conifers.

  • Along quiet pond edges, drainage ditches, and damp fringes near spruces — look for pairs or small flocks feeding low in the branches and close to trunks.

  • In winter near feeder stations by pine plantings and courtyard evergreens — it may come surprisingly close, snatching seeds and berries.

  • At the edge of overgrown vacant lots with scattered pines — watch for short bursts from branch to branch and food tucked into bark cracks.

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