Blue Jay
Blue Jay: Medium, noisy jay with bright blue upperparts, pale gray underparts, distinct head crest, and neck surrounded with a curious black necklace. Black-barred wings and tail have prominent white patches. Direct flight with steady and bouyant wing beats. Glides between perches or to the ground.
● Song:
"jay, jay, jay", "thief, thief, thief!"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Blue Jay: Feeds on fruits, nuts, seeds, insects, mice, and frogs; sometimes robs other nests for young birds and eggs. Opens nuts by holding them in place with feet and hammering the shell with bill.
● Breeding & nesting:
Blue Jay: Three to seven brown marked, light blue green or green blue eggs are laid in a coarsely built nest made of sticks, lined with grass, and well concealed in a tree, often a conifer. Incubation ranges from 16 to 18 days and is carried out by both parents.
● Similar species:
Blue Jay: Steller's Jay has dark underparts. Western and Florida Scrub-Jays lack crests.