Blue+Jay

=__**Physical Appearance**__= The Blue Jay measures 22–30 cm and weighs 70–100 g, and has a wingspan of 34–43 cm. There is a crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lower their feathers according to the bird's mood. When excited or aggressive, the crest may be fully raised. When frightened, the crest bristles outwards, brushlike. When the bird is feeding among other jays or resting, the crest is flattened to the head. Its plumage is lavender-blue to mid-blue in the crest, back, wings, and tail, and its face is white. The underside is off-white and the neck is black which extends to the sides of the head. The wing primaries and tail are strongly black, sky-blue and white. The bill, legs, and eyes are all black. Males and females are nearly identical. Blue Jays have a strong beaks. == =__**Habitat**__= The Blue Jay occurs from the eastern and central USA south to Florida and northeastern Texas. The western edge of the range stops where the arid pine forest and scrub habitat. The range of the Blue Jay has extended northwestwards so that it is now a rare but regularly seen winter visitor along the northern US and southern Canadian Pacific Coast.The Blue Jay occupies a variety of habitats within its large range, from the pine woods of Florida to the spruce-fir forests of northern Ontario. It is less abundant in denser forests, preferring mixed woodlands with oaks and beeches. It has expertly adapted to human activity. =__**Behavior**__= The Blue Jay is a moderately slow flier (roughly 32–40 km/h (20-25 mi/h) and therefore, easy prey for hawks and owls. It flies with slow wing beats.The Blue Jay can be beneficial to other bird species, as it may chase predatory birds, such as hawks and owls, and will scream if it sees a predator within its territory. It has also been known to sound an alarm call when danger is near, and smaller birds often recognize this call and hide themselves. It may also be aggressive towards humans who come close to its nest. However, Blue Jays have also been known to attack or kill other smaller birds. Jays are very territorial birds. The Blue Jay has a bad reputation for raiding other birds' nests, stealing eggs, chicks, and nests.Blue Jays are highly curious and are considered intelligent birds. Young individuals playfully snatch brightly colored or reflective objects and carry them around until they lose interest. Blue jays in captivity have been observed using strips of newspaper as tools to obtain food, while captive fledglings have been attempted to open the door to their cages. =__**Diet**__= Its food is on the ground and in trees and includes almost all known types of plant and animal sources, such as acorns, seeds and grain, fruits, peanuts, bread, meat, small invertebrates of many types, scraps in town parks, bird-table food and eggs and nestlings. Blue Jays will sometimes catch food. =__**Relationship with Humans**__= The Blue Jay is the provincial bird of Prince Edward Island.Toronto's Major League Baseball team is called the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jay is also the athletic mascot of The Johns Hopkins University, Elizabethtown College, Jesuit High School, Bryn Mawr Elementary School, and Creighton University although the latter spells the name as Bluejay. =__**Sources**__= []