Animals

Blue Jays are one of the well known birds and one of the most beautiful birds that you will ever see. They are around 30 cm. when measured from the bill to the tail and can weight 3-4 oz. The wing span measures 34-43 cm. Their colors are a beautiful lavender/blue to mid-blue that can be seen on their back, wings, tail, and crest. It’s face is all white, the underside (belly) is an off white color, and its neck is surrounded in sky/blue, black, and white.

The bill, legs, and eyes are all black. Males and females are nearly identical; males are slightly larger. There is a pronounced crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lowered according to the bird’s mood. When excited or aggressive, the crest may be fully raised. When frightened, the crest bristles outwards, brushlike. When the bird is feeding among other jays or resting, the crest is flattened to the head.

As with other blue-hued birds, 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 feather is crushed, the blue disappears as the structure is destroyed. This is referred to as structural coloration. The Blue Jay occurs from southern Canada south to Texas and Florida. It breeds in mixed-wood forests, deciduous forests, parks, and residential areas from Canada in the north, through eastern North America, and south to Florida and northeastern Texas. The western edge of the range stops where the arid pine forest and scrub habitat of the closely related Steller’s Jay begins. Recently, the range of the Blue Jay has extended to the Northwest so that it is now a regular but still-rare autumn migrant along the northern Pacific Coast.

The Blue Jay is partially migratory. It may withdraw several hundred kilometres south in the northernmost parts of its range. It migrates during the daytime, in loose flocks of 5 to 250 birds. The Blue Jay occupies a variety of habitats within its large range, from the pine woods of Florida to the spruce fir forests of northern Ontario. It is less abundant in the heavier forests, preferring mixed woodlands with oaks and beeches.

The Blue Jay is generally assertive toward other birds, and it may chase birds from feeders or other food sources. It may chase birds of prey, such as hawks and owls, which occasionally prey on jays, and will scream if it sees a predator within its territory. It has also been known to sound an alarm call when hawks or other dangers are near, often helping the plight of smaller birds. It may also be aggressive towards humans who come close to its nest, and if an owl roosts near the nest during the daytime, the Blue Jay attacks it until it takes a new roost. The Blue jay is a slow flier and an easy prey for hawks and owls, when it flies in open lands. It flies with body and tail held level, with slow wing beats.

The Blue Jay has been known to be a raider of other bird’s nests, stealing eggs, chicks, and nests. However, this may not be as widespread as is typically thought. Cornell’s website describes a study that found only 1% of Blue Jay’s had evidence of nestlings or eggs in their stomachs. It appropriates American Robin nests. Young jays collect brightly coloured or reflective objects, such as bottle caps or pieces of aluminium foil, and carry them for a moment. Blue Jays in captivity have been observed using strips of newspaper as tools to obtain food.

The voice is typical of most jays in being varied, but the most commonly recognized sound is the alarm call, which is a loud, almost gull-like scream. There is also a high-pitched jayer-jayer call that increases in speed as the bird becomes more agitated. Blue Jays will use these calls to band together to drive a predator such as a hawk away from their nest.
Blue Jays also have quiet, almost subliminal calls which they use among themselves in proximity. One of the most distinctive calls of this type is often referred to as the “rusty pump” owing to its squeaky resemblance to the sound of an old hand-operated water pump. In fact, they can make a large variety of sounds, and individuals may vary perceptibly in their calling style. Like other corvids, blue jays may learn to mimic human speech.