By Beth Miller, PWLTMN Member
Here in East Texas, we share our environments, both urban and rural, with Blue Jay bullies. Loving mates and devoted parents, it is next to impossible to tell the males from the females unless you are holding the bird for examination. Blue Jays are members of the order Passeriformes, meaning perching bird, and a songbird, which includes more than half of all bird species.
Blue Jays thrive among humans year-round, especially when feeders raw peanuts in or out of the shell and most types of sunflower seeds. Most northern jays migrate, but our blue jays do not, except to a better feeder. With a body-to-brain ratio just slightly less than a human, Blue Jays are adept at problem-solving and will work together to drive off nest or feeder raiders, often in violent attacks.
Perhaps the most human-like similarity is their color. The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is brown and the same pigment found in human skin. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather barbs. The black bridle across the face, nape, and throat varies widely, perhaps to help Blue Jays recognize one another.
Once a scout locates a feeder of peanuts or black oil sunflower seeds and sounds the alert, you won’t miss the noise as nearby jays arrive. They are large enough to hold their own with squirrels, blackbirds, and grackles, that attempt to drive them away.
Range and Habitat
Four species of Blue Jays are found in North America, classified by color reflecting their habitat. Ranges overlap and natural interbreeding occurs.
- Northern Blue Jay: Northeastern United States and Canada.
- Coastal Blue Jay: North Carolina to Texas.
- Interior Blue Jay: Middle-United States.
- Florida Blue Jay: Southern Florida.
Breeding and Nesting
The pair builds their nest in the springtime. Dad gathers food as she incubates six or eight eggs which hatch out after a few weeks. Once the chicks are full grown, they fledge and begin flying as their parents teach them how to find food and the tricks of being a Blue Jay.
Because they nest high and low, Blue Jays can fall victim to predators such as snakes, hawks, and raccoons, or brood extenders such as brown-headed cowbirds that lay their eggs in Blue Jay nests. Of course, most smart Blue Jays quickly rejects the alien eggs.
At the end of a breeding cycle, you may spy the parents looking pretty ragged. Not to worry, they’re molting and will soon grow a new, brilliant set of feathers.
Year-Round Feeding
Since they are here most of the year, Blue Jays enjoy our feeders. Blue Jays eat a variety of available foods, including acorns, berries, nuts, seeds and insects. They love fermented figs, peaches, pears and nectarines that were left on trees, and the resulting buzz.
Like squirrels, they can bury acorns, seeds, and nuts, and then remember they hid the food. Of course, not every seed is recovered, and some of them grow into trees making the Blue Jay an important part of the ecosystem, assisting in regenerating the forests.