If you love Blue Jays, those roudy feathered friends, find a variety of Blue Jay themed gifts at our sponsor's website.

You will find the Ganz Lil Kinz Blue Jay, the Wild Republic Audubon Bird Blue Jay with sound in both old and new designs, the Blue Jay Teenie Beanie, a blue jay keepsake box, a bejeweled Blue Jay keepsake box, a Blue Jay Key Clip and a bluejay in a nest ornament. Find a variety of Bluejay themed gifts at Jeannie's Cottage.

The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is about 11 to 12-1/2 inches long. This brash and bold bird is very attractive, sporting a crest with black barring and white patches on its bright blue wings and tail. It has a black "necklace" on whitish underparts.

This is a common bird in suburbs, city parks, farmlands and woodlands. Like most Jays it is very noisy and bold, and often migrates in large flocks. It is a permanent resident throughout its range.

The female lays 3 to 6 eggs that are light greenish to olive and spotted with brown. There is a 16 to 18 day incubation period. The nest is built in the fork of a tree; 5 to 50 feet up. It prefers oak forests, but also inhabits suburbs, farms and towns. The nest is built of twigs and rootlets and lined with grass and feathers.

Blue jays will eat fruits, nuts, seeds, insects, birds' eggs, small birds, treefrogs, mice and snails.

The breeding range is expanding to the northwest; but is generally found east of the Rockies from southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Class: Aves | Order: Passeriformes | Family: Corvidae | Genus: Cyanocitta | Species: C. cristata

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