A jay of woodlands and parks in eastern North America. Blue, white and black feathers and a raised crest are conspicuous.
Its blue wings and tail have white and black bands. The crest can be raised or lowered.
Blue Jays carry acorns away and hide them in the ground. In a 1981 study at a pin oak stand in Blacksburg, Virginia, the birds transported and cached 133,000 acorns, or 54 percent of that year’s crop. They ate a further 20 percent beneath the source trees. Each caching trip carried one to five acorns, averaging 2.2, and caches lay a mean of 1.1 kilometres away, with a range of 100 metres to 1.9 kilometres. Jays hid the nuts singly and covered them with debris.
Researchers found numerous oak seedlings at jay caching sites and concluded that the birds could help Fagaceae spread. The study followed one stand, yet it shows how a jay’s food stores may also help trees reach new ground.
IUCN Red List (checked via BirdLife International) · Least Concern (LC) · Global
BirdLife International currently lists the Blue Jay as Least Concern (LC). The assessed-on date was not visible in the public record checked.