Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

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 Blue Jay (Corvidae: Cyanocitta cristata)

The bright, blue Blue Jay is found throughout the eastern half of the United States and breeds westward to the eastern edge of the Rockies. It occurs from southern Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Identifying Features: The bright, blue color of both males and females with a triangular crest and black lined mask about the head, are all distinctive for the Blue Jay.

Similar Species: There are no similar species with the Blue Jay's range.

Habitat: The Blue Jay is common in all woods, but is a dominant bird of the suburbs and city parks.

Food: Seeds of many types, often burying the seeds for later retrieval. Some seeds are forgotten and help regenerate the woods.

Behavior: Although Blue Jays are migratory birds, you'll see them all year around, because birds from the north replace residents to the south, who themselves move further south. Blue-Jays regularly mob hawks.

Reproduction: A nest consists of 4 to 6 brown-spotted greenish eggs. The nest is constructed of sticks lined with grass and concealed in the fork of a tree, commonly a conifer.

Notes: Blue-Jays regularly sit in a Boxelder tree overhanging our driveway. Sometimes blue feathers drift down to settle on the hood of the car. More commonly less elegant gifts from the Blue Jays land on the car.