Gray Jay No More. (Re)Introducing the Canada Jay.
White Mountains mainstay to get an overdue name change.
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For generations, White Mountains hikers have enjoyed feeding the region’s sociable Gray Jays (an activity not without its own controversy). Now, the friendly bird’s getting a name change. The American Ornithological Society recently agreed to officially change the name of the Gray Jay to Canada Jay, its original name. As it turns out, the name should have officially reverted to Canada Jay following a naming convention change in 1954, but for unknown reasons, did not. The change follows a deeply-researched proposal by a panel of bird experts. The new name becomes official in the July 2018 edition of the AOS journal “The Auk.”
