Blue Jays, which are known for their beauty and intelligence, are common birds in North America, particularly in southern Canada and the southeastern and central United States, and I’d like to share some amazing facts about Blue Jays with you. Their range extends from Alberta, Canada to Florida, United States. Western populations travel south during the winter, whereas eastern populations spend the majority of the year there.
These birds have intrigued Americans for ages, and the name “Jay” comes from their loud and chatty character. They were frequently featured in myths in early mythology, and they are still used as a symbol for the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball team.
Blue Jays are among the most intelligent birds at your feeder; they belong to the corvid family, which also includes Steller’s Jays, ravens, and crows. Corvids show extraordinary human-like intellectual traits, according to research. While researchers don’t fully comprehend the Blue Jays’ intelligence, current research suggests they’re far from “birdbrains.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Blue Jays are known for their beauty and intelligence, making them iconic birds in North America.
• They live in areas ranging from southern Canada to the southeastern and central United States, with migration patterns ranging between the western and eastern groups.
• The term “Jay” is derived from their loud and chatty manner, which reflects their strong position in folklore and even sports team symbols.
• Blue Jays are members of the corvid family, which is known for its intelligence and includes Steller’s Jays, ravens, and crows.
Blue Jays occupy residential areas, woodland edges, parks, and backyard feeders throughout the eastern and central United States. Their diet consists of acorns, nuts, seeds, berries, caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles, and ants. To attract these birds, fill bird feeders with peanuts, sunflower seeds, fruits, and suet.
Blue Jay Description
• Common name:Blue Jay
• Scientific name: Cyanocitta cristata
• Habitat: Forest edges
• Lifespan:The oldest wild Blue Jay with a band was recorded as having lived for 26 years.
• Description: The Blue Jay, a sizable blue songbird, boasts a perky crest. Its underside features white coloring, while its back displays a combination of blue, white, and black hues.
Discover the fascinating dietary habits of baby blue jays and learn what foods are essential for their growth and development.
Here are the amazing facts about Blue Jays:
1. Blue Jays are related to Crows
It can be difficult to understand that Crows and Blue Jays belong to the same broader family, but they do. Both species are members of the Corvidae family, indicating that both existed at some point in the past. Despite their different colors, they frequently share strong beaks, lengthy tails, and exceptional intellectual ability.
2. Blue Jays do not have consistent migratory patterns
One noteworthy aspect of Blue Jays is their diverse winter migration patterns across their range. While some populations travel south during the winter, others choose to stay in their breeding habitats all year.
According to research, young Blue Jays are more likely to migrate than older ones. Also, it has been noted that if a bird migrates south one year, it may not make the same journey the next year.
3. Blue Jays are monogamous
Blue Jays often create lasting relationships with their mates. During the breeding season, each pair helps gather materials and build the nest. While the female is primarily concerned with incubating the eggs, the male helps her by providing food and caring for her needs. Following hatching, the pair looks after their offspring for about 2-3 weeks before abandoning the nest site.
4. Blue Jays have a complex social system
Blue Jays live in small families and migrate as a group. Although the length of their migrations varies, these birds tend to keep with their familial groups throughout their lives.
The pair can remain together indefinitely, and young ones may occasionally join them. Interestingly, Blue Jays have been observed grooming their nestlings by withholding food from outside the nest.
5. Blue Jays are experts at mimicking
One of the most remarkable qualities of the Blue Jays is their vocal ability. They have an incredible ability to mimic a wide variety of sounds they hear. They frequently use this skill to warn other birds about approaching predators by replicating hawk sounds.
They have also been spotted chirping like kittens, probably to interrupt other bird species’ feeding efforts. Blue Jays raised in captivity have been reported to loosely mimic human speech, demonstrating their vocal agility.
6. Blue Jays can use tools
The way they use their tools reveals something about their intelligence. While not common, Blue Jays in captivity have been observed using objects such as shreds of newspaper and sticks to bring their meal closer. They also engage in opportunistic behavior, occasionally waiting for farmers to complete planting seeds before swooping down to consume them.
7. Blue Jays are very talkative
Blue Jays communicate constantly among themselves, as shown by the wide range and frequency of their vocalizations. While many of their vocalizations are still not entirely understood, their broad capacity implies that they can communicate more than just basic signals.
8. Blue Jays generally have longer lives compared to other birds
Blue Jays often live longer than other bird species. The oldest recorded Blue Jay survived for 26 years and 11 months before passing away. Contrarily, several other wild Jay species live for 7 to 20 years.
This outstanding longevity demonstrates the Blue Jays’ strength and flexibility in a variety of situations. Their ability to survive over extended periods of time emphasizes the need of knowing and maintaining their habitats in order to assure their existence for future generations.
9. Blue Jays are not the fastest flyers and they tend to store food for later
Blue Jays often fly at 20 to 25 mph and like slow, unhurried flights. This slow pace, along with their habit of storing acorns for later use, decreases their need to travel far for food.
Their extraordinary capacity to identify high-quality acorns allows them to transfer up to five at once. According to studies, a Blue Jay may store between 3,000 and 5,000 acorns in a single fall season, demonstrating their extraordinary capacity for food storage and preparation.
10.Blue Jays are not blue
Blue Jays are not literally blue, which may come as a surprise. The pigment responsible for their pigmentation is melanin, which is naturally brown. However, melanin is not equally distributed throughout the bird’s body. As a result, when light interacts with the bird, it disperses and produces a variety of blue colors, giving the bird its characteristic color.
Learn more about the ideal time for cleaning your bird feeders with my guide on How Often Should You Clean Bird Feeders to ensure a healthy and happy flock of feathered friends in your garden.
Weird Facts about Blue Jays
1. Blue Jays rub ants on their feathers
Blue Jays exhibit an unusual habit known as “anting,” in which they wipe ants on their feathers before eating them, thereby emptying the ants of their formic acid. Over time, several explanations have evolved to explain this unusual behavior. One suggestion proposed that the secreted acid served as a defense mechanism against parasites and bacteria, however investigations with bacterium cultures put doubt on this idea.
The most plausible response, however, is quite simple: the ants taste better without the acid. Ornithologists looked into this notion by exposing Blue Jays to both formic acid-treated and untreated ants. The results were clear: the ants with no acid were quickly swallowed, whereas those with acid were exposed to the rubbing ritual before being eaten.
2. The pigment found in Blue Jay feathers is actually brown
Blue Jay feathers contain melanin, the pigment found in human hair and skin. Despite their brown appearance, Blue Jays seem blue due to a phenomenon known as refraction, a sort of light scattering. Pigmentation is only one of several factors that influence bird colors.
Blue Jay feathers’ peculiar bristle structure reflects blue light, while other wavelengths of visible light are absorbed by melanin, giving them their blue hue. If you find a Blue Jay feather, try gleaming it from behind. In the absence of direct light, the blue tinge fades away, revealing the feather’s actual brown color.
3. Blue Jays mimic hawks
Blue Jays may make a variety of sounds, typically emulating hawks, particularly the Red-shouldered Hawk. Ornithologists suggest two probable explanations for this behavior, or a combination of both. For starters, imitation could serve as a warning signal to other jays about prospective hawk dangers. Second, Blue Jays may be seeking to fool other animals into believing that hawks are around.
4. Blue Jays collect paint chips
Blue Jays have been spotted pecking at and collecting light-colored paint, most likely to gather calcium for the spring. If you notice Blue Jays chipping away at the paint on your house, consider providing an alternative calcium source, such as crushed eggshells. This often stops undesired behavior.
5. Blue Jays are noisier in the fall than in the spring or summer
Many individuals have noticed that Blue Jays, who are typically quiet in the spring and summer, become noisy neighbors in the fall. Blue Jays tend to be quiet during the spring and early summer, when they are busy nesting. But when fall hits and they’re out looking for food while keeping a watch out for hawks, they begin interacting with one another via various cries, delivering information and warnings.
Final Thoughts
Blue Jays are known not just for their magnificent beauty, but also for their extraordinary intelligence, which has captivated the hearts and minds of people across North America for many years. As researchers continue to explore the truth of these remarkable birds, one thing is clear: Blue Jays are more than simply a household name; they represent nature’s brilliance and resilience.