Birds › Crows, Jays, and Magpies
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
30 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Sounds
- Recording by Doug Hynes (XC935610). CC-BY-SA · Source
Easily confused with
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
California Scrub-JayAphelocoma californica
Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
American RobinTurdus migratorius
Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 152,018 |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 132,197 |
| Nunavut | 121,224 |
| British Columbia | 106,325 |
| Canada | 43,338 |
| Ontario | 25,882 |
| Texas | 23,908 |
| Idaho | 20,961 |
| Maryland | 12,919 |
| New York | 10,330 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Behavioral
- Tool-usingUses tools to obtain food or solve problemsChecked by the maintainer
- SmartDemonstrates problem-solving and learningChecked by the maintainer
Dietary
- OmnivoreFeeds on both plants and animalsFrom its classification
Physical
- ColorfulStrikingly colorful or patternedChecked by the maintainer
Group and habits
- BlueAdded by a member
- Cup nestingListed by a harvested source as building cup nests.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Tree nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in trees.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Shrub nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in shrubs.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Platform nestingListed by a harvested source as building platform nests.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Bamboo nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in bamboo.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Brood-parasite hostListed by a harvested source as a host of brood parasites.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Perching Birds · Passeriformes |
| Family | Crows, Jays, and Magpies · Corvidae |
| Genus | Blue and Steller's Jays · Cyanocitta |
Study it in a deck
- Birds of British Columbia, Canada
- Birds of Canton, Ohio, United States
- Birds of Centre Wellington, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Gallatin County, Montana, United States
- Birds of Ontario
- Birds of Orangeville, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Pennsylvania (Alkas)
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Blue Jay with real photos from different observers and its recordings. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.