Pinyon-Juniper and Pinyon Jays

Published: Nov. 17, 2020, noon

The pinyon-juniper woodlands of northern Arizona support Pinyon Jays, which rely heavily on pinyon nuts. The birds live in socially complex flocks of up to 500, and each buries 20-30 thousand nuts a year. They fail to find around 10% of those, helping pine dispersal. Pinyon nuts are also important