Taxonomy/Description

Blue Jays are passerines in the Corvidae family which groups them together with Crows, Jays and Magpies. They are known for being aggressive towards other birds. Blue Jays are 11.5 inches (29 cm) in size. They are monochromatic which means that males and females are similar in appearance. They have blue upperparts and white underparts and a blue crest. Blue Jays have a black collar, eyeline and necklace. They have bright blue wings with black bars and white corners. Over the past 100 years, Blue Jays have become very tolerant of humans.

photo Ivan Andrijevic

Habitat/Diet

Blue Jays live in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests and woodlands. They are very common in towns and residential areas. They prefer those with large oaks or other mast-producing trees. Blue Jays live year-round from south Canada to southern Florida and from the Atlantic Ocean to central Texas. Flocks of 5,000 Blue Jays will gather at Point Pelee National Park in Ontario before they migrate south over Lake Erie.

The diet of the Blue Jay consists of insects, carrion, bird eggs and acorns. They forage by picking up items from the ground.

Behavior/Reproduction

Blue Jays have a monogamous mating system and up to 2 broods per season in the north and up to 3 in the south. Both sexes will construct the cup shaped nest on horizontal branch. Occasionally, they will take nests from other passerines. The female lays 4-5 eggs and incubates them for 16-18 days with some help from the male. Young have altricial development which means they are blind, helpless and immobile. Both parents care for young for 17-21 days after hatching.

Vocalizations

Blue Jay's calls sound very similar to the call of Red-tailed Hawks.