The blue jay: beauty, brains and spirit with a perky little crest!
The blue jay lives up to his name in being mostly blue-colored. His face, throat and belly are white, while his wings and tail are covered with white, black and blue plumage. Photo by DON BARTLING
Photo by DON BARTLING Blue jay holding a peanut shell between his legs while picking apart the shell with its beak for the peanut inside.
I was alerted one morning by a blue flash in my backyard and heard a piercing jay, jay, jay, sound. I wondered to myself if it could be a blue jay! I couldn’t believe it until I looked out the window to see a blue jay perched on a Ponderosa pine branch; it was the first one I have seen in Idaho.
I saw the blue jay pick up a peanut out of the platform bird feeder and fly across the yard. The beautiful bird was in my yard and acted like he was making himself at home even though my “Birds of Idaho” book indicated that they were not a native bird. Consulting the Idaho Fish and Game website, it reported a presence of blue jays in Idaho, but did not report any sightings this year in Boundary County.
The blue jay’s scientific name, Cyanocitta cristata, refers to its blueness. The genus comes from cysnos, the Greek word for blue; the species name is the Latin cristata, meaning “crested.” Jays are members of the Corvidae family — which also includes crows, ravens, magpies and several other species of jay — and is considered by many to be the most intelligent family of birds, because of these birds’ capacity to solve problems.
Another skill that shows the intelligence of these birds is their ability to mimic the sounds of other birds, especially hawks — presumably for the purpose of scaring off other birds, and perhaps even squirrels, with whom they compete for food. Some experts contend the blue jay is second only to the mockingbird in all of North America in its ability to master the sounds of other birds. Its repertoire of vocalizations goes far beyond the grating jay, jay, jay sound that we associate with this bird.
According to the Audubon Field Guide the blue jay is common in much of eastern and central North America; blue jays are gradually extending their range to the Northwest. They are fairly social and are typically found in pairs or in family groups or small flocks.
The blue jay lives up to his name in being mostly blue-colored. His face, throat and belly are white, while his wings and tail are covered with white, black and blue plumage. Blue feathers actually contain brown pigment, but they are equipped with special cells that are able to distort light and create the impression of blue color.
The blue jay has a crest on the top of his head. When the crest is erect it is a sign of aggression, while a brush-like crest symbolizes fear. A flattened head crest indicates the blue jay is in a relaxed state. The blue jay has a wing span of 13 to 17 inches and it flies at speeds of 20 to 25 miles per hour.
Mating season takes place from mid-March to July and one pair mates for a lifetime. The male collects building material (twigs, bark, roots and moss) while the female builds a cup-shaped nest in the trees. She lays two to seven bluish or brown eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 16-18 days.
The hatchling blue jays are naked, blind, and helpless at birth. The father provides food for the mother while she takes care of the chicks. The young birds are ready to leave their nest at the age of 17-21 days, but they stay with their parents for at least one or two months. Blue jays reach sexual maturity when they are about a year old. Blue jays can survive around seven years in the wild and up to 26 years in captivity.
As I observed, blue jays harvest and store peanuts for later use, but I wonder if they recall where they stashed all of the nuts; they may only retrieve half of the peanuts they hide. Blue jays are also not bashful about eating sunflower seeds, peanuts and suet from feeders whenever they have access to a perch.
Nuts and seeds should provide enough food for blue jays to survive the winter. I hope the mate to my blue jay shows up soon and they feel comfortable with the neighborhood.
Enjoy the beauty of Boundary County and all its wildlife!