Wyoming · Year-round resident

Canada Jays in Wyoming

When Canada jays are present in Wyoming, when they nest, which native Wyoming plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 3a–5b yard.

Crows and jays (Corvidae)Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis

Status in Wyoming: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 3a–5b

When to expect Canada jays in Wyoming

Canada Jays live in Wyoming all year. Cold, very windy winters. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward stored food in bark crevices.

Semi-arid high plains and basins with major mountain ranges; most towns lie above 5,000 ft.

Nesting in Wyoming

Across Wyoming, Canada jays typically nest from April. Nest site: well-insulated cup in spruce near the trunk. Females lay 2–4 eggs, incubate for 18–22 days, and young leave the nest after 22–24 days.

Short, warm summers with cool nights.

Canada Jays don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as smooth sumac, chokecherry, red-osier dogwood for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after April.

Native Wyoming plants that attract Canada jays

Of the regional native plants we track for Wyoming, these 8 provide food or cover Canada jays use:

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana · Shrub

Dark summer fruit and heavy caterpillar load.

Red-osier dogwood

Cornus sericea · Shrub

White fruit and red winter stems; good thicket cover.

Common hackberry

Celtis occidentalis · Tree

Sweet dry fruit on the branch all winter.

Rocky Mountain juniper

Juniperus scopulorum · Tree

Berry-like cones feed bluebirds, solitaires and waxwings in winter.

Ponderosa pine

Pinus ponderosa · Tree

Seeds and bark insects; pygmy nuthatch and woodpecker habitat.

Golden currant

Ribes aureum · Shrub

Early yellow flowers for hummingbirds, then summer fruit.

Western serviceberry

Amelanchier alnifolia · Shrub

Saskatoon berries ripen in early summer.

Feeding Canada jays through the Wyoming year

Nests in late winter at −20°F, relying on food cached the summer before.

Best foods: Suet, Peanuts.
In Wyoming's winter: Cold, very windy winters.

Full diet breakdown for Canada jays · Best feeder for Canada jays

Frequently asked

Are Canada jays in Wyoming year-round?

Yes. Canada Jays are year-round residents in Wyoming.

When do Canada jays nest in Wyoming?

Nesting in Wyoming typically runs April, with 1 per season. Clutches are 2–4 eggs, incubated for 18–22 days.

What native plants attract Canada jays in Wyoming?

Smooth sumac, Chokecherry, Red-osier dogwood, Common hackberry, Rocky Mountain juniper, Ponderosa pine, Golden currant, Western serviceberry are native plants in Wyoming that provide food or cover for Canada jays.

Other backyard birds in Wyoming

Black-capped Chickadee Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Northern Flicker Red-headed Woodpecker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Steller's Jay Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay Black-billed Magpie Mountain Chickadee Bushtit Juniper Titmouse Pygmy Nuthatch Black-chinned Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Lesser Goldfinch Cassin's Finch Spotted Towhee Mountain Bluebird Say's Phoebe White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Black-headed Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Bullock's Oriole Eurasian Collared-Dove

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.