Facts About Blue Jay

Blue jay is a bright and colorful bird that is native to South America and belongs to the Corvidae family. It is scientifically known as Cyanocitta cristata and is a passerine bird i.e. a bird of the order Passeriformes. Passerine group is one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders that is twice as diverse as the largest Rodentia mammal. Blue jay is a common large songbird that makes noisy calls to warn the other birds and animals about danger. The bird has a prominent crest on the head, plumage with lavender-blue to mid blue, black and white colors and a white face. It has a black collar that continues around the head and across the throat. Blue jay is an intelligent and curious bird that makes tight family bonds. Read on to know more interesting facts and amazing information about this attractive bird.

Facts About Blue Jay Bird

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Aves

Subclass: Neornithes

Infraclass: Neognathae

Superorder: Neoaves

Order: Passeriformes

Suborder: Passeri

Superfamily: Corvoidea

Family: Corvidae

Genus: Cyanocitta

Species: C. cristata

Subspecies: Cyanocitta cristata bromia (Northern Blue Jay), Cyanocitta cristata cristata (Coastal Blue Jay), Cyanocitta cristata cyanotephra (Interior Blue Jay) and Cyanocitta cristata semplei (Florida Blue Jay)

Height: 22 - 30 cm (9 - 12 in)

Weight: 70–100 grams (2.47–3.53 oz)

Life Span: 7 years (average)

Diet: fruits, nuts, grains and insects, along with feeding on the eggs and young of other birds.

Range: Southern Canada to Texas and Florida

Habitat: Mixed wood forests, city parks and suburban areas, which provide large variety of food

Age of Sexual Maturity: 1 year (average)

Gestation Period: 14 days

Number of Offspring: 3 to 6

Interesting & Amazing Information On Blue Jay Bird

It is difficult to differentiate between a male and female blue jay bird, as both of them are almost the same. The only distinguishing feature is that the male is slightly larger than the female.
The bird is known to mimic the sound of hawks, to scare and mislead the other birds that a hawk is close-by. This sound is usually heard when a blue jay is in search of food.
It is territorial in nature and would often chase off the enemy (cats, dogs and sometimes, even humans), if found near its nests or food sources.
Blue jay is aggressive and dominant in nature and would turn off many of the backyard birders.
The bird stands proudly as the mascot of various sports groups, like the Toronto Blue Jays, Canadian Professional Baseball Team, etc.
It sometimes eats the eggs and young ones of other birds and even steals their food. However, this is very rare, as a study of its feeding habits had shown only one percent birds with egg or bird in their stomach.
Blue jay makes monogamous and long lasting pairs that are for life and would break only when one of the partners dies.
The color of its plumage is actually the light of refraction, due to the internal structure of the feathers and is not derived from pigments.

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