So, no cannibalism. (1999). Young individuals playfully snatch brightly coloured or reflective objects, such as bottle caps or pieces of aluminum foil, and carry them around until they lose interest. Young jays may be more likely to migrate than adults, but many adults also migrate. "Jay bird" redirects here. This summer I have watched a Common Magpie take 10 minutes to kill a fledgling Starling. It is also the provincial bird of the province of Prince Edward Island in Canada. I didn’t know either, until today. jay! It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; eastern populations may be migratory. Extreme Eating. Some individual jays migrate south one year, stay north the next winter, and then migrate south again the next year. Due to its slow flying speeds, this species makes easy prey for hawks and owls when flying in open areas. I have also seen a Carrion Crow catch a … [18] The increase in trees throughout the Great Plains during the past century due to fire suppression and tree planting facilitated the western range expansion of the blue jay[19][20] as well as range expansions of many other species of birds. [5], The blue jay was first described as Pica glandaria cærulea cristata in English naturalist Mark Catesby's 1731 publication of Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahamas. [36] Their 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. They are so beautiful, and so are their songs! Diverse predators may prey on jay eggs and young up to their fle… Blue Jays are opportunists and will take advantage of every resource they can to survive and prosper. All members of the crow family are know for their intelligence, thats why its so hard for Fluffy to kill them. Due to its slow flying speeds, this species makes easy prey for hawks and owls when flying in open areas. The blue jay is a noisy, bold, and aggressive passerine. It wasn’t nice to watch but the magpie has to eat. The blue jay can be beneficial to other bird species, as it may chase predatory birds, such as hawks and owls, and will scream if it sees a predator within its territory. It builds an open cup nest in the branches of a tree; both sexes participate. The ranges of the coastal races are better delimited. The largest subspecies, with fairly dull plumage. Recently, the range of the blue jay has extended northwestwards so that it is now a rare but regularly seen winter visitor along the northern US and southern Canadian Pacific Coast. However, despite several major local declines, overall blue jays have not seemed to have been depleted by the disease.[27]. [15], Its plumage is lavender-blue to mid-blue in the crest, back, wings, and tail, and its face is white. The blue jay occurs from southern Canada (including the southern areas of provinces from Alberta eastward to Quebec and throughout the Atlantic provinces) and throughout the eastern and central United States south to Florida and northeastern Texas. [25] They also appropriate nests of other mid-sized songbirds as long as these are placed in suitable spots; American robin nests are commonly used by blue jays, for example. One of the most distinctive calls of this type is often referred to as the "rusty pump" owing to its squeaky resemblance to the sound of an old hand-operated water pump. It may occasionally impersonate the calls of raptors, especially those of the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, possibly to test if a hawk is in the vicinity, though also possibly to scare off other birds that may compete for food sources. If you have a bird feeder, you’ve probably noticed times when all the birds clear out, and suddenly a couple of blue jays swoop in to hog the spoils. The young fledge usually between 17–21 days after hatching. in a heavily deforested area – they will even use places like the large mailboxes typical of the rural United States. It migrates during the daytime, in loose flocks of 5 to 250 birds. All of these are cases of animals eating other animals that may belong in the same family or genus, or order but not the same species. With a big snowstorm looming early last spring, a host of anxious jays, cardinals, juncos, downy woodpeckers, tree sparrows, white-throated sparrows, and newly arrived song sparrows foraged in total harmony on seeds tossed or spilled beneath my hanging feeders. For other uses, see, Tarvin KA, Woolfenden GE. Intelligent and adaptable, it may feed on almost anything, and it is quick to take advantage of bird feeders. Sort of like … [25], Four subspecies are generally accepted, though the variation within this species is rather subtle and essentially clinal. Pick up dead or dying adult birds. Males and females are similar in size and plumage, and plumage does not vary throughout the year. [7] In the 19th century, the jay was described by French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1838 as Cyanocorax cristatus in A geographical and comparative list of the birds of Europe and North America,[8] and given its modern scientific name Cyanocitta cristata by Hugh Edwin Strickland in 1845. [32], Blue jays have strong black bills which they use for cracking nuts, usually while holding them with their feet, and for eating corn, grains and seeds. Although Blue Jays eat about 3 times as much plant matter as it does meat, a large part of their diet is made up of other animals such as mice, fish, bats and other small birds. Although Blue Jays eat about 3 times as much plant matter as it does meat, a large part of their diet is made up of other animals such as mice, fish, bats and other small birds. Hawks eat other birds. When a blue jay is agitated or angry, the blue crest atop its head will rise. [28] However, blue jays have also been known to attack or kill other smaller birds, and foliage-roosting bat species such as Eastern red bats. [13][14] There is a pronounced crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lowered according to the bird's mood. Four subspecies have been recognized. In Florida, blue jays were dominated at feeders by Eastern gray squirrels, Florida scrub-jays, common grackles and red-headed woodpeckers, all of which were occasionally observed to aggressively prevent the jays from feeding.[24]. Blue Jays eat the eggs and young of other birds. I wonder what he had for lunch, probably some berries or something. Blue Jays are corvids, ie in the same family as ravens, crows and magpies. Such wonderful little creatures. They have been known to: Eat snails, spiders, frogs and small rodents. #7. This may deceive other birds into scattering, allowing the Blue Jay to take over the feeder, but most birds quickly return after the jay starts feeding. Little does my grandma know, as she watches the birds fly and sing out her window, that Blue Jays actually readily kill and eat other song birds. Blue is rather pale. [15] It has expertly adapted to human activity, occurring in parks and residential areas, and can adapt to wholesale deforestation with relative ease if human activity creates other means for the jays to get by. Thousands of blue jays have been observed to migrate in flocks along the Great Lakes and Atlantic coasts. [16], Cyanocitta cristata cristata in Johnston County, North Carolina, C. c. bromia, Northern blue jay, juvenile, in Ontario, Canada, C. c. bromia, Northern blue jay in Ontario, Canada, The blue jay is a noisy, bold, and aggressive passerine. In old African American folklore of the southern United States, the blue jay was a significant metaphysical creature. New: Check out my review of the best squirrel-proof bird feeders. They compete for nesting spots and food. In other tales the blue jay was temporarily conscripted as a servant of the Devil to bring "kindling" to the "bad place": and "was not encountered on a Friday as he was fetching sticks down to Hell; furthermore, he was so happy and chirpy on a Saturday as he was relieved to return from Hell". It typically gleans food from trees, shrubs, and the ground, and sometimes hawks insects from the air. "Blue Jay (, 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22705611A94027257.en, "The blue jays are coming! Since I had never even heard of this before, I decided to do some research. [28], After the juveniles fledge, the family travels and forages together until early fall, when the young birds disperse to avoid competition for food during the winter. How do I get rid of Blue Jays? [30], Blue jays, like other corvids, are highly curious and are considered intelligent birds. Others believe blue jays do this to scare off other birds from food sources.