Blue jays are common birds that can be found throughout the United States, particularly in eastern areas, and in southern parts of Canada. The blue jay is a songbird that is capable of producing a wide range of sounds. The blue jay can live for up to 17 years in the wild.
Identification
Blue jays usually measure between 10 and 12 inches from bill to tail and weigh between 2.5 and 3.5 oz. The blue jay is mostly bright blue in color with a white belly, a black band around the neck and black and white markings on its tail and wings. The end of the blue jay's tail is rounded and it has a crest on its head that is held at different levels to signal emotions such as fear or excitement. The blue color of the bird's feathers is the result of light being refracted from the cellular structure of its feathers. It is not caused by pigment. This structure is broken down if a blue jay's feather is crushed, causing the feather to lose its blue color. Male and female blue jays vary little in appearance.
Feeding Habits
The blue jay's omnivorous diet is largely made up of nuts and seeds, although it also consumes insects. Occasionally, it may also eat eggs and small chicks belonging to other birds. The blue jay can store food in a pouch in its throat. This allows the bird to transport food to a site where it will be stored until food becomes scarce in the winter. The pouch is large enough to hold two or three acorns. When food is limited, blue jays form flocks around available food to intimidate other birds and cause them to leave the area.
Habitat
Although the blue jay is an adaptable bird that can be found inhabiting urban areas, collecting food from bird feeders, its preferred natural habitat is mixed forest or woodland. The edges of forests with an abundance of oak trees are particularly favorable as they provide a source of acorns which constitute a large part of the blue jay's diet. While some blue jays in northern areas migrate further south for the winter, others do not migrate. Older blue jays are less likely to migrate than younger birds.
Life Cycle
Blue jays are monogamous birds that mate for life and stay with their breeding partners throughout the year. The male and female birds share the task of building a nest from twigs, grass and moss. Nests are usually positioned in the branches of a tree, between 10 and 25 feet above the ground. After mating, the female lays between two and seven eggs which she incubates for 17 or 18 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are cared for by their parents for between 8 and 12 days after hatching. Young blue jays usually become independent from their parents at around three weeks old.
Related posts
Parakeets are members of the parrot family.Parakeets are one of the most common birds kept as pets. They remain small and are strikingly colored. Parakeets can be found in a variety of color varia...
How Do Blue Jays Mate?Female Blue Jays Choose a MateAny time from late winter through early spring, female blue jays will pick a male to mate with. It is believed that older birds go through the p...
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)Considered obnoxious and raucous by some people and beautiful and intelligent by others, blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) are common large song birds found throughout...
A great blue heron wades across still water.The great blue heron is a large bird that can be found in many places throughout the world, but most prominently in North America. These magnificent bir...
Blue Jays are members of the crow family.Blue Jays are large omnivorous birds that reside in North America. One of the most common birds to frequent man-made feeders, Blue Jays are hard to misiden...
