Canada Jays – Paradise Meadows

Overview

Canada Jays occur in three distinct morphotypes. Since 2016, we have monitored a population of more than 100 individually marked Canada Jays of the Pacific morphotype in the Paradise Meadows area of Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island.

Unlike the widespread boreal morphotype, which typically lives as a breeding pair accompanied by a single non-breeding yearling from the previous breeding season, Pacific Canada Jays at Paradise Meadows live in large social groups that may contain up to 13 individuals. These groups often include two, or even three, breeding pairs that share a territory and raise young together. Group members may consist of immigrants as well as retained offspring from multiple breeding pairs, and their interactions are governed by complex social dominance hierarchies.

Canada Jays rely on thousands of caches of perishable food items to survive the winter and to support their unusually early breeding season in late winter. Across the southern and low-elevation portions of their range, populations are declining as warmer autumn temperatures increase spoilage of these food caches. This creates a unique opportunity to investigate how social dominance and plural breeding influence resilience to climatic stress, while providing broader insights into how complex social systems may help populations persist in a changing environment.

We monitor the Paradise Meadows population three times each year: in March before nesting begins, in June after fledglings appear, and again in the fall. Our study encompasses more than 20 territories across approximately 500 hectares of old-growth subalpine forest under permit from BC Parks. Resident birds are individually marked with unique combinations of coloured leg bands, allowing us to track survival, dispersal, reproduction, and social behaviour over time. We also collect blood samples to determine genetic relationships within social groups and to examine the fitness consequences of variation in social structure.

This research takes place on the Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nation. We are building relationships with the K’ómoks Guardian Program to foster collaboration, community engagement, and reconciliation.

For more information about the study, please contact Dan Strickland ([email protected]) or Andie Siemens ([email protected]).

*scroll down past researchers and annual reports for photos of our research in Paradise Meadows.

Researchers

Dr Ryan Norris (PI, University of Guelph)
Dr David Green (PI, Simon Fraser University)
Dan Strickland (former Chief Park Naturalist, Algonquin Provincial Park)
Andie Siemens (PhD candidate, Simon Fraser University)
Research Assistants:
- Halina van de Ligt (Summer 2025)
- Lianna Dall’ Antonia (Winter 2025)
- Zoe Strothkamp (Summer 2024)
- Elise Brinkman (Summer 2026)