   #copyright

Blue Jay

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                    iBlue Jay

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Passeriformes
   Family:  Corvidae
   Genus:   Cyanocitta
   Species: C. cristata

                                Binomial name

   Cyanocitta cristata
   Linnaeus, 1758
   Blue Jay range
   Blue Jay range

   The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a North American jay, a handsome
   bird with predominantly lavender-blue to mid-blue feathering from the
   top of the head to midway down the back. There is a pronounced crest on
   the head. The colour changes to black, sky-blue and white barring on
   the wing primaries and the tail. The bird has an off-white underside,
   with a black collar around the neck and sides of the head and a white
   face.

   Blue Jays reside over a very large area of the eastern side of North
   America from Newfoundland in the northeast to Florida in the southeast
   and westward to Texas and the mid-west and eastern Colorado in the
   north. It is mainly a bird of mixed woodland, including American beech
   and various oak species, but also of parks and gardens in some towns
   and cities. West of the Rockies, it is replaced by the closely related
   Steller's Jay.

   Its food is sought both on the ground and in trees and includes
   virtually all known types of plant and animal sources, such as acorns
   and beech mast, weed seeds, grain, fruits and other berries, peanuts,
   bread, meat, eggs and nestlings, small invertebrates of many types,
   scraps in town parks and bird-table food.

   Its occasionally aggressive behaviour at feeding stations, plus a
   reputation for occasionally destroying the nests and eggs of other
   birds, has made the Blue Jay unwelcome at some bird feeders. However,
   these are clever and adaptable birds who are good survivors and have
   adapted well to human presence. They are particularly fond of peanuts
   and sunflower seeds.

   Any suitable tree or large bush may be used for nesting and both sexes
   build the nest and rear the young, though only the female broods them.
   There are usually 4–5 eggs laid and incubated over 16–18 days. The
   young are fledged usually between 17–21 days. Blue Jays typically form
   monogamous pair bonds for life.

   Although this bird is generally found year round through most of its
   range, some northern birds do move into the southern parts of the
   range. These birds migrate in the daytime.

   The voice is typical of most jays in being varied, but the most
   commonly recognized sound is the alarm call, which is a loud, almost
   gull-like scream. There is also a high-pitched jayer-jayer call that
   increases in speed as the bird becomes more agitated. Blue Jays will
   use these calls to band together to drive a predator such as a hawk
   away from their nest.

   Blue Jays also have a quiet, almost subliminal call which they use
   among themselves in close proximity. In fact, they can make a large
   variety of sounds, and individuals may vary perceptibly in their
   calling style.

   As with other blue-hued birds, the Blue Jay's coloration is not derived
   by pigments, but is the result of light refraction due to the internal
   structure of the feathers; if a Blue Jay feather is crushed, the blue
   disappears as the structure is destroyed. This is referred to as
   structural coloration.

   The Blue Jay is the provincial bird of Prince Edward Island and gave
   its name to the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

   Blue Jays in captivity are generally aggressive toward other birds.
   They tend to bond to one or two people and attack all others.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Jay"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
