Description: About 12 inches long, the blue
jays crest, back, wings and tail are bright blue. Their wings have white
spots and black bars. Tail feathers have white tips. They have a black necklace
and grayish white face and under parts. The female lays 4 - 5 greenish blue
eggs with brown spots. The eggs hatch in 17 days and the young leave the
nest 17 - 19 days later.
Habitat: Blue hays live in woods,
gardens, parks and in suburbs. They build a nest in a tree using twigs, moss
and some man made materials.
Foods: They eat seeds, nuts,
fruits and insects. They especially like sunflowers seeds and cracked corn.
Facts: No other eastern bird is like
the noisy blue, black, and white Blue Jay. Of the western jays, Steller's
(11 inches.) has a blackhead, throat, and breast, and long black crest.
The short tailed, crest less Pinyon Jay (9 in.) is dull blue with a darker
crown. The Scrub Jay (10 in.), found commonly west of the Rockies and in central
Florida, has a blue cap, wings, and tail, and a dull blue necklace across
the whitish under parts. Young of all jays are similar to their parents.
Did you know?: Blue Jays will form
a mob and dive at hawks.
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