Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata
General Description
Small, crested jay. Total length 25-30 cm; mass 70-100g. Sexes are alike in plumage and size. Upperparts are various shades of blue with wings and tail boldly marked with black bars and white types. Head with crest. Underparts grayish white with black U-shaped collar across upper breast and sides of neck joining a black eye-line . Tail is fairly long and graduated. (Tarvin and Woolfenden. The Birds of North America, No. 469, 1999).
Distribution
Montana Range
Observations in Montana: 273
Montana Counties, Beaverhead, Broadwater, Carter, Cascade, Chouteau, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Garfield, Glacier, Golden Valley, Granite, Hill, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Missoula, Musselshell, Park, Phillips, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, Ravalli, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sanders, Sheridan, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Teton, Toole, Valley, Yellowstone
Habitat
Primarily inhabits deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests and woodlands. Common in towns and residential areas, especially those having large oaks or other mast-producing trees. (Tarvin and Woolfenden 1999).
Food Habits
Arthropods, acorns and other nuts, soft fruits, seeds, small vertebrates. Blue jays also quickly learn to take food provided by humans. (Tarvin and Woolfenden 1999)
Ecology
The range is expanding rapidly in the western U.S. (Smith 1978).
Reproductive Characteristics
Studies conducted in suburban settings have reported two broods per season to be common. Nests found in deciduous or coniferous trees. Clutch size is 2 to 7 eggs, typically 4 to 6 in northern populations. Peak laying ranges from early April in the south to mid-May in the north. (Tarvin and Woolfenden 1999).