"A passerine bird, the blue jay is native to North America and can also be found in the eastern and central parts of the United States. Some of the populations of this bird are even known to be migratory. These birds are forest dwellers and are highly adaptable as well as intelligent in nature. They are known to be able to imitate hawk calls and are especially famous for their “jay jay” call.
Blue jays are called blue jays because they have a seemingly blue color which is rare in most animals. However, they are not actually blue, at least not in a purely scientific sense. Blue jays have brown-colored melanin, but the brown is randomly distributed across the entire body so that when light shines on them, the feathers “become” blue.
Blue jays are among the longest living songbirds in the wild. On average, they live up to seven years, which is pretty long for a bird. As a matter of fact, the oldest known blue jay in the wild lived for 17½ years, while a captive female blue jay once lived for 26 years and 3 months.
It is not very common to see birds being alive well into their teenage years, but some blue jays have been there, done that, and even surpassed them on some occasions.
If you could speak to a blue jay and ask what its favorite food is, there is a 99% chance it would say “acorns.” Besides being on forest edges, blue jays also love to be near oak trees because of the easy access to acorns from there.
They also tend to store food, especially acorns, for later. Since they are naturally skilled at picking out the best acorns, blue jays would try to fly with up to five of them at once, not just to eat but also to store. Research shows that a blue jay may store as much as 3,000 acorns in one fall.
Besides their natural gift of mimickry, blue jays also make a lot of sounds, from quiet, sweet-sounding chirps in the morning to loud, discordant squawks in the evening. They also make loud jeers, whistled notes, as well as gurgles. In fact, they got their name from the jay-jay sound they often make.
Not only are they largely monogamous, but blue jays are also predisposed to building a family of some sort. Male and female blue jays have been observed to work together in building nests for their hatchlings. Since the parents are basically life mates, they would live together and even migrate together when they feel the need to."
A-Z-animals.com
For the Record,
This day came in cold after a frigid night. Lots of birds and beasties at the feeders and at the back step to the delight of the cats.
I retired from public school teaching after happily spending twenty eight years playing in Kindergarten. Now I fill my days watching cat antics, taking endless...
