OFFICIAL BIRD: STELLER’S JAY

Look in your backyard and chances are you’ll spot a Steller’s jay, with its distinctive blue feathers, on a tree branch or in a birdbath.

The jay was the only symbol to be adopted after a public vote. It beat out other candidates to snag the title of B.C.’s bird in 1987, after a provincewide mail-in vote held by the Ministry of Environment and Parks.

About 85,000 residents took part, with the jay triumphing with 21,261 votes — 2,000 more than the second-place peregrine falcon.

“They really have attitude. They’re bright and noisy birds,” said George Clulow, the president of the B.C. Field Ornithologists Association.

The vote was held to celebrate the centennial of wildlife conservation in Canada.

Named after George Steller, a German naturalist, the bird can be found throughout British Columbia and usually flocks to forests with nearby residential areas.

Birdwatchers look for Steller’s jays in an effort to spot rare grey owls, due to the jays’ tendency to mob grey owls.

While they migrate for summer to places with higher elevation, such as the Malahat, the jays are found throughout Victoria and the capital region during the winter.

“I like them as a symbol. They’re an attractive bird and I don’t get to see them that often and it’s always a treat when I do,” said Ann Nightingale, a copresident of the Rocky Point Bird Observatory.

(Adopted: 1987)