BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



THE BLUE JAY 



Crow Family — Corvidcs 



Length: About ll^j inches; li/^ inch longer than the !robin; 

 tail, over 5 inches long. 



General Appearance : A crested grayish-blue bird, with bright 

 blue wings and tail, barred and tipped with black 

 and white. In flight, the long tail is conspicuous; 

 it resembles a pointed fan. 



Male and Female: Grayish-blue above, grayish-white below, 

 lighter on throat and belly. Head with a conspic- 

 uous crest; forehead black; bill long, strong, and 

 black. A black band that extends back of the crest 

 and encircles the throat is widest across the breast. 

 Wings bright blue, barred with black; the white tips 

 of some of the feathers form bands and patches of 

 white. 



Note: A harsh yah, yah, yah, or jay, jay, jay, which Thoreau 

 says is "a true winter sound, wholly without senti- 

 ment." ^ 



Song: A pleasant, flute-like strain: Pedunkle, pedunkle, parlez- 

 vous. There is a sort of jerkiness about his love- 

 song, as though his throat was unaccustomed to make 

 agreeable sounds. Jays are able to produce many 

 strange noises, and appear to enjoy using their power. 



Habitat: Woodlands; those containing oaks and other nut- 

 bearing trees preferred. 



Nest: A rough basket of twigs, with a soft lining of root-fibers. 



Range: Eastern North America. A permanent resident of 

 south-central Canada and eastern United States, west 

 to the Dakotas, Colorado, and central Texas. 



iFrom "Notes on New England Birds," by Henry D. Thoreau. 



[6] 



