Blue Jay
Description: Unmistakable blue bird with black "necklace" and prominent crest. Belly is white, breast is light gray. Its raucous cries are easily identified.
Nest: Cup of twigs and sticks, usually lined with rootlets. Usually placed high in a tree, coniferous of deciduous.
Eggs: 3-6 bluish eggs with brown spots.
Diet: Seeds, nuts (particularly acorns and hickory nuts), insects, spiders, carrion, corn, some fruit, also robs eggs and young of other birds. Blue Jays are smart birds, opening cocoons and harassing smaller birds for their food. Also very opportunistic, taking meals when they are available. Often a nuisance at feeders as it gorges and chases other, more desirable birds away. Blue Jays do raise the alarm when they spot a hawk which helps the other birds escape danger when they are busy feeding. Readily stores nuts, seeds and grain in autumn especially. These birds can store a good volume of food in their crop to take back to a caching site.
Habitat: Hardwood and coniferous forests. Some northern Blue Jays migrate south, resulting in an increase in winter numbers. They have adapted to urban settings and take advantage of feeders and food scraps.
Nest: Cup of twigs and sticks, usually lined with rootlets. Usually placed high in a tree, coniferous of deciduous.
Eggs: 3-6 bluish eggs with brown spots.
Diet: Seeds, nuts (particularly acorns and hickory nuts), insects, spiders, carrion, corn, some fruit, also robs eggs and young of other birds. Blue Jays are smart birds, opening cocoons and harassing smaller birds for their food. Also very opportunistic, taking meals when they are available. Often a nuisance at feeders as it gorges and chases other, more desirable birds away. Blue Jays do raise the alarm when they spot a hawk which helps the other birds escape danger when they are busy feeding. Readily stores nuts, seeds and grain in autumn especially. These birds can store a good volume of food in their crop to take back to a caching site.
Habitat: Hardwood and coniferous forests. Some northern Blue Jays migrate south, resulting in an increase in winter numbers. They have adapted to urban settings and take advantage of feeders and food scraps.