"The Pinyon jay is a highly social, cooperative-breeding, seed-caching bird of the foothills and lower mountain slopes of the western and southwestern United States.  Although omnivorous, it is committed to the harvest, transport, caching, and later retrieval of pine seeds, aided by a relatively long, strong bill; an expandable esophagus; and long, strong wings.  Individuals have excellent spatial memories that allow them uncanny recovery accuracy when digging up their hidden food stores months after caching, even through snow.

"This bird is named for piñon pines of western North America...  These pines and this jay are associated in a mutualist, or coevolutionary, relationship.  The large, wingless seeds of these pines are dispersed long distances on the strong wings of the Pinyon Jay, which reaps the reward of a food source rich in energy and nutrients.

"Social organization is complex in this bird, with permanent flocks that may contain more than 500 individuals.  Many birds spend their entire lives in their natal flocks.  Individuals that do disperse - mostly females before they are one year of age - generally travel short distances.  Birds may live up to 16 years of age in the wild and in captivity.  Although permanent residents, in years when cone crops fail, individuals often disperse far from their normal range, making them one of the truly 'irruptive' species of North American birds."

From Balda, R.P.  2002.  Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus).  in The Birds of North America, No. 605 (A. Poole and F. gill, eds.).  The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.