The Screaming Blue Jay

While lamenting about the absence of crows from my surroundings, I started to think of blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata).  Sure, American crows don't roam the skies here in town, and it's been over decade since I've seen a fish crow (which was in upstate New York),  but every once in a while a scream will fill the air.  The scream today seemed to say, "I'm here!"

These beautiful, chubby birds are certainly one of the larger, noisier birds you can find at the feeder.  And like crows, they are screamers, saying their name over and over again.  The signature, loud JAY call is not the only sound this bird makes.  Blue jays can also express harsh, rusty whistles.  Anita Carpenter writes,"devilish bluejays can mimic screaming red-shouldered hawks, while loving bluejays will 'tea-kettle' to each other (Wisconsin Natural Resources).

When it comes to color, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on what the main color of this bird actually it is.  It has been said that this bird is mostly black.  One source states that these birds are actually brown.  It has been said that this bird is mostly gray.  But sources seem to agree that it is the sunlight falling on the bird and scattering that causes this creature to appear blue.  This pretty bird sports more than one shade of blue, a thick head crest, and underside of gray, and black markings on its face, its blue tail and its blue and bright white wings.

Like other corvids, blue jays like the company of other members of their species.  "They are fairly social and are typically found in pairs or in family groups or small flocks (National Geographic).  Blue jays can be found all over the Eastern half of the United States, in a variety of places, including the forest, a park, or even in a garden.  They eat a variety of foods, including insects, acorns, and nuts...and they will come to bird feeders for suet.

To see a picture of a blue jay and to learn more, please click here.

Sources:
A. Carpenter, Wisconsin Natural Resources, Feb. 2003, What Color is a Blue Jay? http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/2003/feb03/jays.htm

National Geographic, Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/blue-jay/

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds,  Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/id

Wild Birds Forever, Learn About Blue Jays, http://www.birdsforever.com/bluejay.htm

eNature.com, Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata, http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=BD0026