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Blue Jay

Birds

The blue jay is a medium-sized songbird native to eastern and central North America, easily recognized by its vivid blue, white and black plumage, prominent crest and loud, varied calls, including an ability to mimic the calls of hawks. It lives mainly in deciduous and mixed forests as well as parks and suburban gardens, feeding on a broad diet of nuts, seeds, fruit, insects and occasionally the eggs or young of other birds. Blue jays are known for caching acorns and other food for later use, a habit that makes them an important, if inadvertent, planter of oak trees across their range. The species is common and adaptable, and populations in the northern part of its range shift southward in some winters in a pattern that is not yet fully understood.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Omnivore 2
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 3
Relationship to People
Disease Vector 4
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status.
Scientific Name
Cyanocitta cristata 1
Conservation Status
Least Concern 1
Body Size Band
Small 6
Activity Pattern
Diurnal 6
Lifespan
26.2 7
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Its coloration is predominantly blue, with a white chest and underparts, and a blue crest; it has a black, U-shaped collar around its neck and a black border behind the crest. 1
Comparison
NatureServe Rank
G5 Secure 5
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 4
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Corvidae, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life

In Biome

Temperate Coniferous Forest, Biomes
Source Blue Jay (Wikipedia)
Temperate Forest, Biomes
Source Blue Jay (Wikipedia)

In Ecosystem

Great Plains, Ecosystems
Source Blue Jay (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

North America

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Norway

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

United Kingdom

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

United States

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Blue Jay (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Wikipedia article, opening sentence
    The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America
  • Infobox: status
    LC
  • Wikipedia article, lead section, plumage description sentence
    Its coloration is predominantly blue, with a white chest and underparts, and a blue crest; it has a black, U-shaped collar around its neck and a black border behind the crest
  • In Biome: Temperate Forest, Wikipedia 'Blue jay': breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests
  • In Biome: Temperate Coniferous Forest, Wikipedia 'Blue jay': breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests
  • In Ecosystem: Great Plains, Distribution and habitat
    The increase in trees throughout the Great Plains during the past century due to fire suppression and tree planting facilitated the western range expansion of the blue jay as well as range expansions of many other species of birds.
View the Source
2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
  • Diet: Omnivore
3. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species API
  • System (Realm): Terrestrial
View the Source
4. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Cyanocitta cristata (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
  • Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
    they may act as a reservoir for West Nile virus
  • Conservation Status: CITES
    CITES No special status
View the Source
5. NatureServe Explorer: Cyanocitta cristata
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)
Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "G5"
View the Source
6. Ecological Society of America, Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014): EltonTraits 1.0 bird functional traits (BirdFuncDat)
Ecological Society of America, Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014)
  • Row: cyanocitta cristata
    7977 Passeriformes Passeriformes Corvidae Crows and jays 147 BL3 Cyanocitta cristata Blue Jay 20 10 10 0 0 0 20 0 40 0 Omnivore Ref_14 A Carolina 0 0 40 20 20 20 0 0 Ref_30 1 Christian 0 88 Dunning08 1
  • BirdFuncDat.txt row Cyanocitta cristata, Nocturnal column
    Cyanocitta cristata Blue Jay 20 10 10 0 0 0 20 0 40 0 Omnivore Ref_14 A Carolina 0 0 40 20 20 20 0 0 Ref_30 1 Christian 0
View the Source
7. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of Liverpool: AnAge entry for Cyanocitta cristata
Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of LiverpoolLifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
Quote, Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
Maximum longevity 26.2 years (captivity)
View the Source
Wikidata: Blue Jay
Wikidata Q199758, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: CorvidaeView the Source
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