We report what we believe is the first documented observation of Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis) copulation behavior. We compare our observations to the behaviors of other Aphelocoma jays with the aim of identifying potential species-specific elements. There are observable differences between the precopulatory display of the Island Scrub-Jay and that of more distantly related Aphelocoma jays. The display of Island Scrub-Jay and that of the closely related California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) are very similar despite the species being isolated from each other for approximately 1 million years.
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12 June 2019
First Documented Observation of Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis) Precopulatory Display
Rebecca G. Cheek,
Michelle L. Harris,
Anna Kennedy
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Western North American Naturalist
Vol. 79 • No. 2
July 2019
Vol. 79 • No. 2
July 2019