Blue jay

Cyanocitta cristata · The blue jay is a bird of the crow family, native to eastern North America and found across most of the eastern and central United States.

Also called Jay Bird.

Blue jay
Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0
Blue jay
Photo: Mdf, CC BY-SA 3.0
Blue jay
Photo: Barbara Schelkle, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyCorvidae
GenusCyanocitta
SpeciesCyanocitta cristata

Where it lives

Forests, parks and backyards of eastern and central Canada and the US.

Fun facts

  • A blue jay's blue isn't a pigment: it comes from light interference in the feathers' structure, so a crushed blue feather loses its color.
  • Blue jays can copy the cries of local hawks so well that it is sometimes hard to tell which bird is calling.
  • Blue jays use tools: captive birds have used strips of newspaper to get food, and a wild jay used a piece of bark to help catch a spider.
  • Young blue jays playfully snatch shiny things like bottle caps and aluminum foil and carry them around until they lose interest.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).