Profile
In flight
Clever Corvids
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
- common
- 32 km/h
- Starter
- Least Concern
Mimics hawk calls to clear the feeder before landing. Loud, bold, and absolutely judging your message.
- Population
- ~17 million mature individuals (BirdLife/Partners in Flight estimate, figure originates from a 2011 count and is carried forward in current assessments); population trend stable
- Habitat
- Mixed deciduous and coniferous woodlands (especially oak and beech stands), forest edges, parks, and suburban/residential areas with mature trees; highly adapted to human-altered landscapes and backyard feeders
- Fun fact
- A Blue Jay's feathers contain no blue pigment at all — the color comes from microscopic structures in the feather barbs that scatter light, so a crushed feather turns brown.
- Range
- Eastern and central North America, from southern Canada through the eastern and central United States to Florida and northeastern Texas; northern/western populations partially migratory, southern populations largely resident
- Diet
- Omnivorous; roughly 75% plant matter (acorns, nuts, seeds, berries and fruit) supplemented with insects and other arthropods, and occasionally eggs or nestlings of other birds (a minor part of the diet)
- Size
- 0.26 m
- Wingspan
- 0.39 m
- Lifespan
- 27 years
