PERCH I \(i BIRD: 



477. Blue Jay. Cyanocitta cristata 



crista t a. 



Range. — North America, east of the Plains 

 and north to Hudson Bay; resident and very 

 abundant in its United States range. 



These beautiful and 



bold maurauders are too 



well known to need de 



scription, suffice it to 



say that they are the 



most beautiful of North 



American .lays; but be- 

 neath their handsome 



plumage beats a heart 

 Greenish bufl as C ruel an( j cunning as 



that in any bird of prey. In the fall, winter 

 and spring, their food consists largely of 

 acorns, chestnuts, berries, seeds, grain, insects, 

 lizards, etc., but during the summer months 

 they destroy and devour a great many eggs and 

 young of the smaller birds, their taste for 

 which, being so great that they are known to 



watch a nest until the full complement of eggs Blue I;IV 



is laid before making their theft. They nest 



in open woods or clumps of trees, indifferently, in pines or young trees, build- 

 ing most often below twenty feet from the ground; the nests are made of twigs 

 and rootlets, lined with fine rootlets. During May they lay from four to si\ 

 eggs of a greenish buff color spotted with olive brown. Size 1.10 x .80 



177a. Florida Blue Jay. Cyanocitta cristata florincola. 



Range. — Florida and the Gulf coast. 



The nesting habits and eggs of this smaller sub-species are the same as those 

 of the northern Blue Jay. Like our birds, they frequently nest near habitations. 



17s. Steller's .1 w. Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri. 



Range. — Pacific coast from southern California to Alaska; resident and breed- 

 ing throughout its range. 



All the members of this sub-species are similar in 

 plumage, having a sooty black head, (test ami neck, 

 Shading insensibly into dark bluish on the back and 



underparts, and brighter blue on the wings and tail. 



The) usually have ;i lew streaks or spots of pale blue on 

 the forehead. They are just as noisy, bold and thievish 

 as the eastern Jay and are also excellent mimmics like 

 the latter. They nest in fir trees at any height from the 

 ground and in April or May deposit their three to six 

 greenish blue eggs which are spotted with various 

 shades of brown. Size L.25 X .90. Their nests are more 



bulky than those of the eastern .lay and are usually made of larger sticks ami 



held together with some mud. 



t78a. Blue fronted Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis. 

 Range. Coasl ranges of California and Oregon. 



Tin' nesting habits and eggs of this variety are indistinguishable from 1 



of the preceding. The bird has more blue on the forehead. 

 178b. I.om, 1 i.-i -iii) .l\s. Cyanocitta stelleri diademata. 



Flange. Southern Rock) Mountains I'r Arizona to Wyoming. 



No genera] differei an be found between tin- eggs of this species ami the 



Bteller Jay, and the nests ol each are con tructed Bimilarlj ami In like Bitua- 

 tion 803 



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