15 interesting facts about blue jays
- Blue jay is an intelligent and curious bird that makes tight family bonds.
- It is scientifically known as Cyanocitta cristata and is a passerine bird i.e. a bi
rd of the order Passeriformes. - It is difficult to differentiate between a male and female blue jay bird, as both of them are almost the same. The only distinguishing feature is that the male is slightly larger than the female.
- In old African American folklore of the southern United States, the Blue Jay was held to be a servant of the Devil
- The bird is known to mimic the sound of hawks, to scare and mislead the other birds that a hawk is close-by. This sound is usually heard when a blue jay is in search of food.
- Blue jay is aggressive and dominant in nature and would turn off many of the backyard birders.
- It is territorial in nature and would often chase off the enemy (cats, dogs and sometimes, even humans), if found near its nests or food sources.
- Blue Jays, like other corvids, are highly curious and very intelligent birds. Young individuals playfully snatch brightly coloured or reflective objects, such as bottle caps or pieces of aluminium foil, and carry them around until they lose interest.
- It sometimes eats the eggs and young ones of other birds and even steals their food. However, this is very rare, as a study of its feeding habits had shown only one percent birds with egg or bird in their stomach.
- Blue Jays in captivity have been observed using strips of newspaper as tools to obtain food.
- The bird stands proudly as the mascot of various sports groups, like the Toronto Blue Jays, Canadian Professional Baseball Team, etc.
- The color of its plumage is actually the light of refraction, due to the internal structure of the feathers and is not derived from pigments.
- Blue jay makes monogamous and long lasting pairs that are for life and would break only when one of the partners dies.
- Diet: fruits, nuts, grains and insects, along with feeding on the eggs and young of other birds.
- Toronto's major league baseball team is called the Toronto Blue Jays.
