Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

I got a good look at this Steller's Jay at Mt. Rainier National Park. Steller's Jays are common in mountainous coniferous forests in the American West. In fact, it's rare to see a Blue Jay in the Pacific Northwest as this species is completely dominant.

The bird was first described by Georg Wilhelm Steller, a German explorer of Russian Siberia and Alaska. Steller first saw this bird in Alaska. Remarkably, Steller made the connection with the Blue Jay of more southernly North America -- a fact that helped support his contention that Alaska was indeed a part of the North American continent.