Blue Jay
Description
Voice
A raucous jay-jay,
harsh cries, and a rich variety of other calls. One is almost identical
to the scream of the Red-shouldered Hawk. Also a musical queedle-queedle
Habitat
Chiefly oak forest, but now also city parks and suburban
yards, especially where oak trees predominate.
Nesting
4-6 brown-spotted greenish eggs in a coarsely built nest
of sticks, lined with grass and well concealed in a crotch or forked branch
of tree, often a conifer.
Other
Although sometimes disliked
because they chase smaller birds away from feeders, Blue Jays are among
the handsomest of birds. They often bury seeds and acorns, and since many
are never retrieved they are, in effect, tree planters. They regularly
mob predators, and their raucous screaming makes it easy to locate a hawk
or roosting owl. Although seen throughout the year, they are migratory
and travel in large loose flocks in both spring and fall. In the East,
birds from farther north replace the local population in winter.