Abstract
Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus ) live in flocks composed primarily of pairs and their offspring. The authors describe characteristics of 107 pair bonds. Pair bonds appear to be monogamous, perennial, and last an average of 2.5 yr. Males average 1.63 mates/lifetime and females average 1.43. Males initiate breeding at an average of 2 yr, and females at an average age of 1.56 yr. Initial bonds formed between morphologically similar jays lasted significantly longer than those formed between disparate-size jays. Pairs had emergent properties that could not be accounted for by considering only properties of the mated individuals. Annual reproductive productivity did not vary significantly with duration of pair bonds.
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