The Cyanocitta cristata, also known as a Blue Jay, are bright blue on top and whitish gray on the belly and chin. They have a gray-blue, feather crested head that they can raise and lower. The feathers on their wings and tails are bright blue with white and black bands. They also have black feathers across the throat, that goes around the head. Their bills, legs, feet, and eyes are black.

 

They range from 22 to 30 cm. in length and 5 to 109g. in mass. Blue Jays are native to the Nearctic’s region. They are common in southern Canada and in the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains. Most blue jays prefer mixed woodlands found in suburban areas and city parks.

 

Blue jays help our ecosystem by hiding seeds and nuts. Sometimes they may forget to find and eat them, so it helps the plants disperse their seeds. The population of the Blue jay is rising; they are very common wherever they occur. There range is expanding westward.

 

In the last centuries, the population of Blue jays went down due to the cause of the woodland lost. The population also went down by the spread of West Nile virus which also affected bird populations. The oldest Blue jay in the wild lived up to 17 years and 6 months.

 

Most Blue jays only live to about 7 years old. A Blue jay is an omnivore. They feed on animals such as birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, eggs, insects, and terrestrial non-insect arthropods. They also feed off plants such as seeds, grains, nuts, and fruits. Blue jays will also steal food from other birds by frightening them away. Blue jays compete with other jays to get the right foods they need.

 

Blue jays have many predators, but the most well known predators are hawks, falcons, and owls. They will always be there to defend their nests against predators. Both parents will attack preditors and even humans away from their nests. What stands out most about a Blue jay is it's behavior.

 

They are very aggressive and noisy birds, which drives other birds away from getting food and entering their territories. Blue jays have certain calls for certain events. A signal of submission is the “body-fluff”, when the bird crouches down and fluffs up its feathers. A familiar call is the “jay”. This call attracts other jays to join a flock or is an alarm call. Other calls sound like rusty pump handles, bells, and some even make rattling sounds, but in the spring you can hear very soft singing.

 

Other interesting facts about Blue jays are the way they reproduce. The female lays three to six eggs at a time. The eggs can be blue, green, or yellow, with brown or gray spots. The eggs must be incubated for 17 to 18 days.

 

The male provides food for the female during the incubation period. Once the eggs are hatched the young jays can fledge after 17 to 21 days and leave their nests about 2 months after fledging. The nestlings are able to feed themselves three weeks after they leave the nest, but they stay with their parents for around two months after fledging.

 

Author: Rachel Y

Published: 02/2007

 

Bibliography- www.wikipedia.org www.ask.com www.google.com World Book Encyclopedia, the Animal World

 

Photo Credit: This image is the work of an U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.