Animal Facts

Blue Jays are one of the most recognizable birds in North America due to their bright blue plumage and noisy behavior. Both males and females have the beautiful blue feathers with lighter coloring on their bellies and throats and bold black and white markings on their heads, wings and tail. With a wingspan between 13 to 17 inches, Blue Jays are fairly large for a song bird and have been known to bully smaller birds and steal their food.

Blue Jays mate for life. Mating season is from March into July. The female lays three to seven eggs and incubates them for about eighteen days. The chicks leave the nest about three weeks later. These birds are very territorial and will chase off much larger animals that stray too close to their nest or feeding area.

These birds live in forested areas but will frequent bird feeders as well. They also have a love for acorns, even going so far as to collect them in storage spots for later, although they tend to forget about them a lot of the time. Besides seeds, Blue Jays will occasionally feed on insects they catch.