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Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristataOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Crows and Jays (Corvidae)

Blue Jay Portrait
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General

Blue Jay: Medium-sized, noisy jay with bright blue upperparts, pale gray underparts, distinct head crest, and neck surrounded with a curious black necklace. Black-barred wings and tail have prominent white patches. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Blue Jay: Resident east of the Rockies, from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, but slowly encroaching westward. Preferred habitats include evergreen forests, farmlands, groves, and suburbs.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"jay, jay, jay", "thief, thief, thief!"

Interesting Facts

 The Blue Jay's coloration is not derived by pigments, but is the result of light refraction due to the internal structure of the feathers; if a Blue Jay feather is crushed, the blue disappears as the structure is destroyed.

 They will sometimes prey on eggs and nestlings of other birds’ nests.

 Captive jays have been observed using tools and strips of newspaper to rake in food pellets from outside their cages.

 A group of jays has many collective nouns, including a "band", "cast", "party", and "scold" of jays.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Blue Jay
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Jays and Magpies (Corvidae)_blue
Species Cyanocitta cristata
Length11 Inches
Wingspan16 Inches

Blue Jay

Blue Jay: Medium, noisy jay with bright blue upperparts, pale gray underparts, distinct head crest, and neck surrounded with a curious black necklace. Black-barred wings and tail have prominent white patches. Direct flight with steady and bouyant wing beats. Glides between perches or to the ground.

● Song: "jay, jay, jay", "thief, thief, thief!"

● Foraging & Feeding: Blue Jay: Feeds on fruits, nuts, seeds, insects, mice, and frogs; sometimes robs other nests for young birds and eggs. Opens nuts by holding them in place with feet and hammering the shell with bill.

● Breeding & nesting: Blue Jay: Three to seven brown marked, light blue green or green blue eggs are laid in a coarsely built nest made of sticks, lined with grass, and well concealed in a tree, often a conifer. Incubation ranges from 16 to 18 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Blue Jay: Steller's Jay has dark underparts. Western and Florida Scrub-Jays lack crests.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with buoyant steady wing beats.
Blue Jay Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Blue Jay: Resident east of the Rockies, from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, but slowly encroaching westward. Preferred habitats include evergreen forests, farmlands, groves, and suburbs.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationWidespread
MigrationMigratory
Weight3 Ounces