The gray jay, aka Canada jay, aka camp robber, aka whisky jack, is more closely related to the Iberian magpie than to other birds known as jays. They are found in coniferous forests across Canada plus the Cascade and Rocky Mountain ranges of the USA. They are common in the forest and subalpine zones of Rainier.

Monogamous couples maintain permanent territories. They survive the winter by caching thousands of food items per summer, each in a different location. They use a special sticky saliva to coat blobs of food and glue them to bark, branches, or pine needles. Excellent memories required to find these again when needed!

The name 'camp robber' is an accurate description of their boldness when seeking food. They will go inside cabins or tents, steal food directly from the hands of distracted hikers, and have been seen (not on Rainier) landing on the backs of moose to eat blood-filled ticks.

The name 'whisky jack' is an anglicization of Wisakedjak, a trickster figure from Algonquin and Cree mythology.