(Cyanocitta cristata)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
|
|||||||
IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
|||||||
NatureServe | N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding SNR - Unranked |
|||||||
Minnesota | not listed |
|||||||
Description |
||
The male is slightly larger but otherwise nearly identical to the female. |
||
Size |
||
11″ to 12½″ in length 16″ wingspan |
||
Voice |
||
A loud, screaming, jay-jay-jay |
||
A high note followed quickly by a low note, the pair often repeated rapidly two or three times, and sounding melodious. It is often called the “rusty pump call.” |
||
It can also imitate a red-shouldered hawk. |
||
Similar Species |
||
Habitat |
||
Mixed and deciduous forests, agricultural areas, suburban areas, city parks |
||
Biology |
||
Migration |
||
|
||
Nesting |
||
|
||
Food |
||
|
||
Distribution |
||||
Occurrence |
||||
Common to abundant |
||||
Maps |
||||
The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
||||
Taxonomy |
|||
Class | Aves (birds) | ||
Order |
Passeriformes (perching birds) | ||
Family |
Corvidae (crows, jays, and magpies) | ||
Genus |
Cyanocitta (blue and Steller’s jays) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
|||
Coastal Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata cristata) Florida Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata semplei) Interior Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata cyanotephra) Northern Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata bromia) |
|||
Synonyms |
|||
|
|||
Visitor Photos |
|||||
Share your photo of this bird. |
|||||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption. |
|||||
Luciearl |
|||||
Every morning for 3 yrs. the blue jays make a visit for peanuts in the shell. If I forget, they'll let me know. I'll hear them begging outside. |
![]() |
||||
Gregory Gilman |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Ramona Abrego |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
|||||
Lynn Rubey |
|||||
A Blue Jay flew onto the top of these vines feeding on berries. Along the Ortonville Bike trail. |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
The Blue Jay turned and looked at me and my grand daughter before going back to feeding. |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
The Blue Jay taking off after feeding. |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Kathy Ross |
|||||
...a blue bird sitting on her eggs in a lilac bush next to our deck. It was very easy to take the photos, because she was not going to budge for anything |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
|||||
Trisha |
|||||
Female Blue Jay |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
Tom Baker |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Bill Reynolds |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
Slideshows |
||
Blue Jay JMC Nature Photos |
||
![]() |
||
Blue Jays jt893x |
||
![]() |
||
Blue Jay Joshua Mayer |
||
![]() |
||
About
Cyanocitta cristata |
||
Visitor Videos |
|||
Share your video of this bird. |
|||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link. |
|||
Other Videos |
|||
Birds USA... Blue Jays groenelantaarn |
|||
About
Published on Feb 1, 2014 Cyanocitta cristata |
|||
Blue Jay - January 26, 2014 Don Gagnon |
|||
About
Published on Jan 26, 2014 Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), Wilderness Garden, Gagnon Wildlife Habitat, Pottersville, Somerset, Massachusetts, Sunday morning, January 26, 2014, 10:59 AM - Canon PowerShot SX50 HS MVI_71788; 8 sec. |
|||
Blue Jay, "Fly Away" - December 4, 2013 Don Gagnon |
|||
About
Published on Dec 4, 2013 Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), Gagnon Wilderness Habitat, Pottersville, Somerset, Massachusetts, Wednesday afternoon, December 4, 2013, 12:43 PM - Canon PowerShot SX50 HS MVI_57998; 30 sec. Music: "Fly Away-UPPM" by KT (Rock, 0:28) |
|||
The Blue Jay Ep. 3 - LoveBirds - Short documentary LesleytheBirdNerd |
|||
About
Published on Mar 6, 2013 Video content is owned by Lesley Music is owned by Dick kait check out his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/Dickkait |
|||
Visitor Sightings |
|||||
Report a sighting of this bird. |
|||||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
|||||
Luciearl 10/24/2021 |
Location: Lake Shore Every morning for 3 yrs. the blue jays make a visit for peanuts in the shell. If I forget, they'll let me know. I'll hear them begging outside |
||||
Nanna Bonnie |
Location: Yellow Medicine County Just 1 feeding at my feeders |
|
|||
Ramona Abrego | Location: Washington and Becker Counties |
||||
Lynn Rubey 10/28/2019 |
Location: Ortonville Bike Trail The Blue Jay turned and looked at me and my grand daughter before going back to feeding. |
||||
Kathy Ross 6/4/2017 |
Location: Anoka County ...a blue bird sitting on her eggs in a lilac bush next to our deck. It was very easy to take the photos, because she was not going to budge for anything |
||||
Trisha 12/9/2016 |
Female Blue Jay |
||||
Gregory Gilman 2/24/2015 |
Location: Rochester, MN |
||||
Tom Baker 5/1/2011 |
Location: Edenbrook Conservation Area |
||||
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
|||||
Avon Hills Forest SNA, North Unit Beaver Creek Valley State Park Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park Cannon River Turtle Preserve SNA Carver Highlands WMA, South Unit Charles A. Lindbergh State Park Clifton E. French Regional Park Clinton Falls Dwarf Trout Lily SNA Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park Hardscrabble Woods / MG Tusler Itasca Wilderness Sanctuary SNA John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA Kellogg Weaver Dunes SNA, Kellogg Weaver Unit Mary Schmidt Crawford Woods SNA Minnesota Valley NWR, Long Meadow Lake Unit Minnesota Valley NWR, Louisville Swamp Unit Minnesota Valley NWR, Wilkie Unit Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Hoffman Unit Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Rengstorf Unit Prairie Creek WMA, Koester Prairie Unit Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve Sand Prairie Wildlife Management and Environmental Education Area Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve Two Rivers Aspen Prairie Parkland SNA |
|||||
Last Updated: