Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Also called jay.
Loud, bold and unmistakable in the east. The blue is structural rather than pigment — a blue jay feather ground to powder is brown, which is why the colour shifts so much with the light.
- Size
- Robin to jay — 25–30 cm
- Bill
- Short and conical
- Where
- feeder, yard, woodland
- Season
- year round
What it looks like
Bright blue above with black barring on the wings and tail, white wing patches, a white face and a black necklace across the throat. A prominent blue crest.
The checks that confirm it
- Blue with a black necklace and a crest.
- White patches in the wing and white corners to the tail, obvious in flight.
- Black barring across the blue of the wings and tail.
Voice
A harsh descending 'jaay'. Also an astonishing imitation of a red-shouldered hawk, which empties a feeder in seconds and is often done for exactly that reason.
Attracting it
Peanuts in the shell and sunflower seed on a platform feeder. They cache far more than they eat.
Confused with
Western, and much darker — a sooty black head and chest with a very tall crest.
Much smaller, no crest, orange breast, and it perches in the open rather than moving through cover.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a blue jay?
Blue with a black necklace and a crest. White patches in the wing and white corners to the tail, obvious in flight.
What does a blue jay sound like?
A harsh descending 'jaay'. Also an astonishing imitation of a red-shouldered hawk, which empties a feeder in seconds and is often done for exactly that reason.
How do you attract a blue jay?
Peanuts in the shell and sunflower seed on a platform feeder. They cache far more than they eat.