Blue Jays are particularly beautiful birds, known and named for their deep blue color and strong black and white striping on their wings. They are also known for being very loud and territorial, often chasing other types of birds away from feeders so that they can claim a feeder or particularly abundant food source as their own and have an easier time foraging. They are also rumored to be egg snatchers, stealing eggs from the nests of other birds to eat. While egg-snatching is much noted, it is not as widely spread behavior among jays as it was once thought to be. Like their cousins of the Corvidae family, crows and ravens, the Blue Jay is an omnivore.

One interesting fact about the blue color of the Blue Jay’s feather is that the brilliant hue does not come from pigmentation, but rather the structure of the feather itself. If you were to crush the feather, the blue would disappear. Something else a lot of folks don’t realize about the Blue Jay is that they also mimic sounds, from the barks and meows of cats and dogs, to the bird calls of other species, to human speech. One of the smartest birds, they have been observed to be capable of planning ahead, watching humans plant seeds, then waiting for the humans to leave, then swooping in to dig up the seeds.

The decorative crest on top of the Blue Jays head can be a barometer for their mood. If the crest is fully raised, the bird is feeling excited or agressive, it is usuallt flat against the head when the bird is in a comfortable state, such as when eating with its mate. Blue Jays, surprisingly, mate for life. Mating season for Jays last from mid march into July and it takes 17-21 days for a brood of eggs, generally 4-5 in number, to incubate. The baby Jays stay with Mom and Dad Jay until the end of fall, when the family disperses. This is done to avoid competition over sources of food.