Blue Jays

Blue jays are colorful birds with bright blue, white, and black feathers. They live in forests and backyards across eastern North America. Blue jays are known for being loud and bold. They are smart birds in the same family as crows and ravens.

Bright Feathers

Blue jays are not really blue. Their feathers have a special shape that reflects blue light. If you crushed a feather, it would look gray. Their bright look helps them talk to other blue jays.

Smart and Loud

Blue jays can copy the sound of hawks to scare other birds away from food. They also hide acorns in the ground for later. Sometimes they forget where they hid them, and new oak trees grow. Blue jays help plant forests this way.

Fun Facts

• Blue jays can mimic the calls of hawks very well.
• A single blue jay can hide thousands of acorns each fall.
• Blue jays travel in small family groups called parties.

Did You Know?

Blue jays help grow oak forests by burying acorns they never come back to eat.