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Mystery Bird: Steller's jay, Cyanocitta stelleri Named for a German naturalist, explorer and physician, this lovely bird is a member of the corvid family, which includes crows, ravens, jays and magpiesSteller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri, also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay, photographed near Auburn, Washington, USA. Image: Brian Pendleton, 22 February 2007 [with binoculars].Question: This stunning North American mystery bird was named for a famous explorer and naturalist who discovered this and many other species. Can you name this species and tell me about its namesake?Response: The Steller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri, was named for Georg Wilhelm Steller (10 March 1709 – 14 November 1746), a German botanist, zoologist, physician and explorer, who worked in Russia and present-day Alaska. Steller, along with his shipmates, spent the winter on a remote island later named for the ship's captain, Danish explorer Vitus Bering, who navigated his crippled ship there shortly before dying on the island in December 1741. While eeking out an existence and helping to build a boat to escape, Steller wrote a book, De Bestiis Marinis, describing the fauna of this island, including the Northern Fur Seal, the Sea Otter, Steller's (or Northern) Sea Lion (endangered), Steller's Sea Cow (extinct), Steller's Eider and Spectacled Cormorant (extinct). Steller claimed the only recorded sighting of the mysterious Steller's Sea Ape.Eventually the shipwrecked crew escaped and returned to Russia. Steller died during his return to St Petersburg at the age of 37 after being unjustly imprisoned by the Russians. Many of his hand-written notes and manuscripts -- painstakingly copied in Latin under difficult conditions while being shipwrecked during a harsh winter on this unknown island -- did survive and eventually made him posthumously famous. If you would like to learn more about Georg Wilhelm Steller, you will really enjoy Corey Ford's wonderful book, Where the Sea Breaks its Back, (1966. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Books, 1992 [Amazon UK; Amazon US]). The Steller's sea eagle, Steller's sea cow, Steller's sea lion and Steller's jay are just some of the animals named for this pioneering naturalist. Embedded below is a 2 minute radio programme about the Steller's jay, thanks to my friends at BirdNote Radio:If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and appreciate audience, feel free to email them to me for consideration.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |