Blue Jay
Male: A large bright blue and white bird with a black necklace. Crest on head moves up and down at will. Gray belly and white face, wing bars and tail tip. Blue wings and tail with black spots. Black bill and dark eyes.
Female: Same as male.
Diet: Peanuts, sunflowers, mixed seeds, insects and carrion.
Song: Mimics other birds.
Nest: Cup; female and male build; one to two broods per year.
Eggs: Four to five; green to blue with brown markings.
Incubation: Sixteen to eighteen days; female incubates.
Fledging: Seventeen to twenty-one days; female and male feed young.
Notes: Feathers do not have blue pigment; refracted sunlight casts blue light on them, making the feathers simply appear blue.
Male: A large bright blue and white bird with a black necklace. Crest on head moves up and down at will. Gray belly and white face, wing bars and tail tip. Blue wings and tail with black spots. Black bill and dark eyes.
Female: Same as male.
Diet: Peanuts, sunflowers, mixed seeds, insects and carrion.
Song: Mimics other birds.
Nest: Cup; female and male build; one to two broods per year.
Eggs: Four to five; green to blue with brown markings.
Incubation: Sixteen to eighteen days; female incubates.
Fledging: Seventeen to twenty-one days; female and male feed young.
Notes: Feathers do not have blue pigment; refracted sunlight casts blue light on them, making the feathers simply appear blue.
