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Blue Jay
(Cyanocitta cristata)
Banded July 10, 1998 - Carmel, Indiana
General Information
Of the 40 plus species of jays found worldwide, eight occur in North America. The Blue
Jay, widespread over eastern North America, is a familiar bird of parks, woodlands and
backyards. It is the only North American jay with white markings in its wings and tail.
Diet consists of nuts, seeds, and insects, and it will take eggs and chicks from nests.
Its voice is varied. Typical call is a loud repeated peeeah. It also has a repertoire of
metallic clicking, rattling, squeaking, hiccuping and bell-like notes. It will even
imitate the call of the Red-tailed Hawk. It is an intelligent bird, and frequently mobs
owls, hawks, cats and other predators.
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The blue color of the Blue Jay is a
structural color that results from the reflection of blue light from the feathers. |
Figure 1 - Adult Blue Jay
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Figure 2 - Blue Jay
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The facial markings of the Blue Jay are a
pattern of off white, a black band that circles the head, and a violet blue crown and
crest. The large bill is black but not very strong. |
The wing feathers are blue, strongly
patterned with black bars. White tips are prominent especially on the secondaries. |
Figure 3 - Blue Jay wing
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Figure 4 - Upper Wing
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The primaries are longer and are black edged
with blue. |
The long tail feathers are blue with black
barring and white tips. |
Figure 5 - Tail Feathers
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Figure 6 - Alula Feathers
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The black barring on the alula feathers (by
my thumb) are an indicator of the bird's age. Black barring occurs in older birds. Younger
birds lack the black barring on the alula feathers. (Figure 7) |
Younger Jays lack the black barring on the
alula feathers. |
Figure 7 - Alula Feathers of Younger Jay
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Figure 8 - Flight Feather Molt
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During the summer, adult jays replace their
feathers. Flight feathers are replaced sequentially and symmetrically (the same feather is
replaced at the same time on each wing). In this photo, a new feather is emerging from its
sheath. New feathers still in the sheath are also visible.
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Nesting Behavior
Blue Jays are solitary nesters. Both parents construct a nest of twigs and mud in the
fork of a tree. The female incubates the eggs and is fed by the male. Eggs hatch in about
16 - 18 days. Young leave the nest in another 17 - 21 days.
Banding Recoveries
The Bird Banding Lab web site reports that between 1955 and 1997, a total of 453,901 Blue Jays were banded. Of these,
23,299 have been recovered, a recovery rate of 5.13%. Banding studies show that Blue Jays
can live up to 15 years in the wild. They are resident year round, but northern
populations are short distance migrants. If you should recover a banded bird, please
report the band number to the Bird Banding Lab by calling 1-800-327-BAND.
Conservation Status
Blue Jays are very common over most of their range. Populations are gradually spreading
west. Blue Jays breed well into Canada, but northern populations withdraw to the US during
the winter months. At fall migratory concentration points around the Great Lakes, hundreds
of thousands of Blue Jays can be observed as they stream south in flocks of 50 to 100 or
more.
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All images are courtesy of CWBO. All image copyrights are owned by CWBO.
Any use of these images must have permission of CWBO. |
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