Neelaya. Recently, the range of the blue jay has extended northwestwards so that it is now a rare but regularly seen winter visitor along the northern US and southern Canadian Pacific Coast. It comes from the class of Aves and the kingdom Animalia. The Blue Jay GEMEINSAMER NAME: BlueJay WISSENSCHAFTLICHER NAME: Cyanocittacristata … – TB Prisci When the bird is feeding among other jays or resting, the crest is flattened on the head. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; eastern populations may be migratory. For other uses, see, Tarvin KA, Woolfenden GE. [15] It has expertly adapted to human activity, occurring in parks and residential areas, and can adapt to wholesale deforestation with relative ease if human activity creates other means for the jays to get by. [34] Although seemingly contentious in their general behavior, blue jays are frequently subservient to other medium-sized birds who visit bird-feeders. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Planting oak trees will make acorns available for jays of the future. [11] As the two species' ranges now overlap, C. cristata may sometimes hybridize with Steller's jay. The RCGS is a registered charity. The jay is also known to imitate hawk calls. The scientific name of a Blue Jay is Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jays prefer tray feeders or hopper feeders on a post rather than hanging feeders, and they prefer peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. Bat. 38. It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common near and in residential areas. The Blue Jay is a species from the Cyanocitta genus. [33], Blue jays have strong black bills which they use for cracking nuts, usually while holding them with their feet, and for eating corn, grains and seeds. The Blue Jay has a very heavy bill which is used to peck open a variety of nuts, acorns and cocoons. Blue Jays are monogamous, and form long-lasting bonds. When a blue jay is agitated or angry, the blue crest atop its head will rise. Males are just slightly larger than females. Like other corvids, they may learn to mimic human speech. The blue jay is also the official mascot for Johns Hopkins University, Elmhurst University, and Creighton University. [31], Blue jays, like other corvids, are highly curious and are considered intelligent birds. The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It may occasionally impersonate the calls of raptors, especially those of the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, possibly to test if a hawk is in the vicinity, though also possibly to scare off other birds that may compete for food sources. The mating season begins in mid-March, peaks in mid-April to May, and extends into July. However, despite several major local declines, overall blue jays have not seemed to have been depleted by the disease.[28]. The specific name cristata (crested, tufted) derives from Latin referring to the prominent blue crest of the jay. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States, although western populations may be migratory. In the 1966 Western film The Shooting, the blue jay is cited as a sign of good luck. Family: Corvidae (crows) Habitat: broadleaf and coniferous woodland. Greater Flamingo. Little Spotted Kiwi. [24], The northernmost subspecies C. c. bromia is migratory, subject to necessity. Why they do it, whether it is a warning to others that a predator is about, or as a means to intimidate their neighbors, isn't known. Some individual jays migrate south one year, stay north the next winter, and then migrate south again the next year. The nest is preferentially built at a height in the trees of 3 to 10 m (9.8 to 32.8 ft). ", Little Known Fact: Blue Jays are Vicious Carnivores, "jaybird – definition of jaybird by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia", "Range Extension of the Blue Jay into Western North America", "Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata BBS Trend Map, 1966 - 2015", "A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio", "The Truth About Blue Jays – The Free Weekly", "Tool-Making and Tool-Using in the Northern Blue Jay", https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/, "Longevity Records Of North American Birds", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_jay&oldid=1014624299, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Also, if you’re interested in watching blue jay even closer, you might want to check out our post: The Top 5 Blue Jay Feeders In … It is predominantly blue, with a white chest and underparts, and a blue crest; it has a black, U-shaped collar around its neck and a black border behind the crest. COMMON NAME: Blue Jay; SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cyanocitta cristata; TYPE: Birds; DIET: Omnivore; GROUP NAME: Flock; SIZE: 10 to 12 inches; wingspan: 13 to 17 inches; WEIGHT: 2.5 to 3.5 ounces; SIZE RELATIVE TO A TEACUP: [Video] A Lot About Blue Jays. Usage Frequency: 1. Blue jays typically form monogamous pair bonds for life. The Blue Jay belongs to the crow family, or Corvidae, a group of 100 related species including ravens, rooks, jackdaws, crows, magpies, and jays. [25] Despite this, other passerines may still mob jays who come within their breeding territories. Resident populations are also found in Newfoundland, Canada, while breeding populations can be found in southern Canada. [16], Cyanocitta cristata cristata in Johnston County, North Carolina, C. c. bromia, Northern blue jay, juvenile, in Ontario, Canada, C. c. bromia, Northern blue jay in Ontario, Canada, The blue jay is a noisy, bold, and aggressive passerine. Its cries are used to warn other birds and animals of danger, but are also often used for no apparent reason. The bright cobalt colour is the result of the unique inner structure of the feathers, which distort the reflection of light off the bird, making it look blue. It has also been known to sound an alarm call when hawks or other dangers are near, and smaller birds often recognize this call and hide themselves away accordingly. Info. Call that mystery No. The name jay derives from the bird's noisy, garrulous nature and has been applied to other birds of the same family, which are also mostly gregarious. Much about their migratory behavior remains a mystery. Sexual maturity is reached after one year of age. It is a moderately slow flier (roughly 32–40 km/h (20–25 mph)) when unprovoked. Puskar. [25], 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. [7] In the 19th century, the jay was described by French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1838 as Cyanocorax cristatus in A geographical and comparative list of the birds of Europe and North America,[8] and given its modern scientific name Cyanocitta cristata by Hugh Edwin Strickland in 1845. (Audio of Blue Jay imitating Red-tailed Hawk by Todd Wilson XC44106, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/44106; Audio of Red-tailed Hawk by Ryan P. O'Donnell XC79803, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/79803. Scientific name: Cyanocitta cristata Average weight: 70 to 100 g Average height: 30 cm in length from the bill to the tail Average lifespan:7 years The Royal Canadian Geographical Society family of sites: Canadian Geographic student geography challenge, Help designate an official bird for Canada, Grade 8 students exploring Parks Canada sites, Compare countries' statistics and explore our changing world, Innovative projects in the developing world, The revolution of mapping in the First World War, Canadian pilots heroically earn their wings, Canadian Geographic magazine in french: Géographica, Accessibility Standard for Customer Service Plan. Blue jays are not very picky about nesting locations. jay! It prefers mixed wood forests, which provide it with a larger variety of food. The jay has pale pink plumage, a black tail and white rump. No firm boundaries can be drawn between the inland subspecies. They may stay with their parents for one to two months. 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