It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, the others being the Siberian Jay, P. infaustus, found from Norway to eastern Russia and the Sichuan Jay, P. internigrans, restricted to the mountains of eastern Tibet and northwestern Sichuan. All three species store food and live year-round on permanent territories in coniferous forests.

Gray jays reside in coniferous and deciduous forests, specifically, in spruce (Picea), aspen (Populus), fir (Abies), and sugar maple (Acer saccharum)-dominated forests. Gray jays are dependent on these trees for safety as well as reproduction. Gray jays also thrive around permanent waterbodies, from small ponds to the Great Lakes. In the summer, gray jays typically live at elevations from 2,618 m to 3,048 m. In winter, individuals live at lower elevations in the eastern and western United States. Gray jays are not found in elevations below 600 m. At their lowest elevations, gray jays are found in spruce bogs. (BirdLife International, 2012; Strickland and Ouellet, 2011; Waite, 1991)

Gray jays are birds that weigh between 62-82 grams. Sexes are similar in size and color, which consists of dark and light gray, black, tan, and white. This short-billed species grows to adults that have black legs and white auriculars, which are the feathers located in the 'cheek' area that cover the ear canal. This species resembles common blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata), but gray jays are smaller and darker.

Their adult wingspan averages 45 centimeters. From their head to the tip of their tail, on average, their length is 29.21 centimeters. If these birds are located towards the eastern United States, their color will be slightly paler than birds from the Rocky Mountains.

Gray jay's breast (ventral) feathers are short, and plentiful. In comparison, their dorsal feathers are very fine towards their heads and smooth on their wings. The smooth texture of their wings allows flight with less energy investment.

The hatchling's first molt is completed between April and May and takes two weeks to complete. Although adults in this species are tri-colored, as young they are uniformly dark gray, almost black. Their coloring will resemble that of adults by May to August. Their ventral feathers turn to a lighter brown-cream color and their dorsal feathers turn a dusty gray color. (BirdLife International, 2012; Strickland and Ouellet, 2011; Waite, 1192)

CANADA'S NATIONAL BIRD Perisoreus canadensis was known as the Canada Jay from the 19th century until 1957—when the American Ornithologists' Union changed the bird's common name to Gray Jay. The name change was considered a double slight by many Canadian ornithologists and birders: the loss of a national moniker compounded by an Americanized spelling of gray (not grey).

But now, the bird is the Canada Jay again, after a 9-to-1 vote by a committee of the American Ornithological Society (as the AOU is now called) to restore the species's official common name. Retired Algonquin Provincial Park naturalist Dan Strickland, who has studied the jays in the field for decades and pioneered research into their unique winter survival strategies, made the proposal to the AOS for the name change.

"I am pleased that the AOS has accepted our findings, corrected the mistake made by their predecessors, and restored 'Canada Jay' to its original and rightful place as the official English name of this quintessentially Canadian bird," Strickland said.

Strickland and other Canadian ornithologists hoped that the name change would add momentum to a two-year campaign to get the Canada Jay recognized as the country's official national bird. But the federal Department of Canadian Heritage seemed unmoved by news of the Canada Jay's restoration, reiterating the response it has given repeatedly that the government is not currently considering the adoption of a bird as a national symbol.