Blue jay: Difference between revisions

* '''Species:''' [[C. cristata]]

'''Blue Jays''' are beautiful blue [[birds]] perhaps best known for their aggressive and loud behavior. They are frequently seen steeling food from other birds, and protecting their own nest by attacking large predators.[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cyanocitta_cristata.html] Their scientific name, "''Cyanocitta cristata''" means blue, chattering bird. Their calls sound like a "jay jay" or "queeble." They are also good at mimicing other bird's calls.[http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/blue-jay.html]

Blue Jays have dark gray legs and feet, light gray to white breast feathers, and a blue crest on top of their head. Their wings are blue with white and black lines crossing horizontally and a blue tail with black bars on top and white bars underneath. Their eyes, feet, and beak are black. They grow to be about 10-11 inches in length[http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/printouts/Bluejayprintout.shtml] and 2.5 -3.5 onces. [http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/blue-jay.html] The crest on the top of their head is lowered or raised according to it's mood. When it is excited to aggressive, it's crest feathers stick straight up. [http://www.shawcreekbirdsupply.com/blue_jay_info.htm]

The male and female look indentical to each other except that the male is slightly larger. [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cyanocitta_cristata.html]

After the eggs are layed, they are incubated mainly by the mother for 18 days. The mothers shed the feathers off a part of their stomache called the incubation patch. The area is filled with small blood vessels and provides heat for the eggs or young fledges. [http://www.birdhouses101.com/blue-jay-facts.asp]  

After the eggs hatch, the young are helpless, vulnerable, and without feathers. After about 17 days they have all their feathers and at 21 days of age they are able to leave the nest. The baby birds are closely watched and fed by their parents until they leave their nest at about 2  to 4 months old. However, the fledgings can feed themselves at about 3 weeks old but still follow their parents around. [http://www.shawcreekbirdsupply.com/blue_jay_info.htm]  

The diet of a Blue Jay consists of nuts, fruits, insects, mice, frogs, and other bird's eggs. [http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/printouts/Bluejayprintout.shtml] To some people this may seem unacceptable, but it benefits the envirement by keeping bird and insect populations from becoming too large. [http://www.shawcreekbirdsupply.com/blue_jay_info.htm] They are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. An estimated 24% of their diet is other animals, and 76% is organic matter. [http://www.nrri.umn.edu/mnbirds/accounts/BLJAa2.htm] They like to scare other animals into giving them their food and use their beaks to crack open nut shells.  

They are predated by hawks, racoons, cats, snakes, squirrels, and falcons. Both parents will attempt to scare away any predator by chasing and attacking them. [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cyanocitta_cristata.html] Blue Jay families, consist of the young and it's parents, but don't usually live in close contact with other families. The only time a large number of Blue Jays will gather is to scare away any predators. They will even chase and attack humans if they come to close. [http://www.aspensongwildbirdfood.com/wildbirds/speciesprofiles/detail.php?id=69]

They are known to be selfish and hostile. During winter periods, they tend to store up more food than they can eat, which can help the envirement in the spreading of plant seeds. They have been thought to have aided in the spread of Oak Trees across North America. [http://www.nrri.umn.edu/mnbirds/accounts/BLJAa2.htm] However, they can also be a nusiance because they have been noted to carry the [[West Nile Virus]]. [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cyanocitta_cristata.html]

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