It mimics a hawk and serves as a mascot - the beautiful blue jay

The sound of the blue jay calling takes me back to my grandmother’s backyard. I can remember hearing them cry out a warning as we would run through her grass paths and hide behind the massive live oaks.  These beautiful birds are relatively easy to spot and serve as sever sports team mascots!

The blue jay has a range of calls, including one that mimics the call of the red-shouldered hawk! This animal is a songbird and it belongs to the family of crows. These intelligent birds can be found in central and eastern parts of North America.

Unlike its crow cousin, the blue jay has very little black. This bird is mostly blue, but it’s face, throat, and belly are decked out in greyish-white feathers. The blue jay also has some stunning blue, black, and white stripes on its wings and tail. Males are a bit larger than the females, but otherwise, their plumage is similar.

If you see a blue jay with a crest standing tall on its head, chances are the bird is trying to warn you that he’s about to get very aggressive!  Blue jays are known to chase away predators and other birds from their nest or food source.

Fun Fact – Blue jay’s are very smart – in the lab, they have been observed using newspaper to get a hold of out of reach food!

RELATED HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

Keep the learning going with these science activities!

• Feather Collection – Blue jay tail feathers are easy to identify and gorgeous additions to any collection. Have your students look around for feathers to collect in your yard or on your nature walk. Then, identify and display them! 

LINKS TO RESEARCH

10 Interesting Facts About Blue Jays
Blue Jay Facts
Blue Jay call
{Video} Blue Jay – Mini-Documentary