scrub jay

noun

1. a crestless jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens, of the western and southern U.S. and Mexico, having blue and grayish plumage.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scrub jay¹

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

They include the black bear, Western scrub jay, California flannel brush, California bumble bee, California halibut, Northern elephant seal, Dungeness crab, California bay tree, Western spadefoot toad, and the endangered black abalone.

From Los Angeles Times

“Channel Islands National Park is one of the least visited national parks in America, accessible only by boat or by airplane, yet it is only 18 miles from the millions of people living in coastal California. Going to Santa Cruz Island is going back in time to the way California looked and existed 150 years ago. There are plant species and wildlife species that are unique to Santa Cruz Island — island fox, scrub jay, raven. Hiking, camping, sea kayaking, research, history, few people: Santa Cruz Island has it.”

From New York Times

The same cannot be said of the Florida scrub jay, described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as the sole bird species found only in Florida.

From Seattle Times

But separate bills in the state House and Senate would elevate the blue-headed scrub jay to the honorary post.

From Seattle Times

Suggestions for a new state bird are all over the map, but four main contenders have emerged: the Florida scrub jay, flamingo, osprey and roseate spoonbill.

From Seattle Times