Light blue and gray above, with a whitish throat and grayish belly separated by an indistinct, partial breast band of blue. In birds, the color blue depends on lighting, so Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays can look simply dark.
Assertive, vocal, and inquisitive. You’ll often notice scrub-jays silhouetted high in trees, on wires, or on posts where they act as lookouts. In flight seems underpowered and slow, with bouts of fluttering alternating with glides.
Look for Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays in open habitats and pinyon-juniper woodlands of the intermountain West; also backyards and pastures. Typically, though not always, in lower and drier habitats than Steller’s Jay.
Regional Differences
A subgroup of Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay occurs in southern mainland Mexico and is sometimes called "Sumichrast's" scrub-jay. Compared with the Woodhouse's in the U.S., these show more contrast between blue upperparts and white underparts, and have a less distinct blue necklace. On the Edwards Plateau of Texas, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays are darker blue with a narrower necklace, browner underparts, and a heavier, less pointed bill.