Blue Jay

Distribution and Abundance

• BBS Map | CBC Map
• Breeding range from the Atlantic Coast west to central Texas in the United States and southern Saskatchewan in Canada; also into central western Canada.
• Range expanding westward, beginning in the late 1940s in Canada (Campbell et al. 1997) and dramatically increasing in the 1970s in both the U.S. (Smith 1978, Van Horn 1978) and Canada (Godfrey 1986) and occurrences reported from all conterminous states (Smith 1986a). Urbanization, with accompanying changes in vegetation and abundance of bird feeders, is the proposed cause (Bock and Lepthien 1976, Smith 1978).
• Many jays remain in all parts of the breeding range throughout the year (Wenger 1975, Kennard 1980, Stewart 1982); some jays migrate to more southerly portions of the breeding range, and in western North America, some birds winter outside the breeding range. The Blue Jay is the only New World jay exhibiting latitudinal migration.

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. Abundance may be greater in towns (Woolfenden and Rohwer 1969a) and woodland edges (Graber et al. 1987) than in surrounding areas of mature forest due to attraction to bird feeders (Bock and Lepthien 1976). Nest success may be higher in suburban areas than native habitats because of fewer nest predators (Graber et al. 1987, Tarvin and Smith 1995, Tarvin 1998).
• However, of 1523 observations in Wisconsin from 1995-2000, 56% were in upland hardwood forest (predominately oak and then maple) or upland mixed forest (predominately pine), yet only 14% were in urban habitats (WSO 2002). Likewise, in Michigan, of 168 survey observations from 1983-1988, 79% were in forests, whereas only 7% were in residential areas (Brewer et al. 1991). 
• Nest site habitat highly variable. Nests from 1 to greater than 30 m above ground in deciduous or coniferous trees; occasionally on buildings (Woolfenden and Rohwer 1969a, Best and Stauffer 1980, Graber et al. 1987, Tarvin and Smith 1995, Tarvin 1998). 
• Fluctuation in winter distribution may depend on productivity of masting tree species (Smith 1986b, Smith 1986c, Smith and Scarlet 1987).

Behavior

• Omnivorous; diet mainly arthropods, small vertebrates, nuts, fruits, and seeds.
• Jays exhibit elaborate social displays and vocal communications.
• Long-term socially monogamous. Males are dominant to and more aggressive than females although females become more dominant (and males less so) immediately before breeding season. In nonmigratory populations, mates remain together year-round (Laskey 1958, Cohen 1977, Gutkin 1978).
• Males do not maintain exclusive, multipurpose territories (Hardy 1961, Cohen 1977). During breeding season, aggressive interactions between pairs are subtle and unpredictable. Territoriality may be better conceived as dominance contests that are repeated between neighbors rather than a defense of discrete space.
• In winter, several individuals may rest or roost together. However, flocks do not move as a unit and birds forage independently.

Parasitism and Predation

• Very few reports of parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbird (Friedmann 1963). Rejects cowbird eggs (Rothstein 1975). In Wisconsin, of 477 confirmed Brown-headed Cowbird observations from 1995-2000, the Blue Jay was not indicated as a host species (WSO 2002).
• Adults predated by hawks (Sherrod 1978) and owls. Attacked by domestic dogs and cats (Hickey 1952, Hickey and Brittingham 1991). Fledglings taken by Gray squirrels (Montague and Montague 1985) and fox squirrels (Shaffer and Baker 1991). Nest predators include American Crow and Squirrels. Probably raccoons and opossums also.
• Adults mob hawks, large snakes, raccoons, large owls, and domestic cats. Squirrels and humans approaching active nest are vigorously chased by both members of breeding pair.

Conservation and Management

• Plasticity of habitat use and ability to thrive among human habitation suggest modest habitat alteration unlikely to impinge on population as a whole although extensive deforestation or urbanization will reduce or extirpate local populations.
• Considered an agricultural pest in times past, but probably has no important impact on grains or other large-scale crops. May affect nut crops, however, especially pecans, on a local scale (Batcheller et al. 1984).
• Habit as a nest predator, combined with apparent preference for forest edges, implicated in the decline of certain Neotropical migrant species (e.g., Wilcove 1985, Engels and Sexton 1994). However, studies of Blue Jays as nest predators often use artificial nests which may be at abnormally high densities or baited repeatedly (e.g., Picman and Schriml 1994).
• BBS trend results from 1966-2000 (Sauer et al. 2001) in the Northern Spruce-Hardwoods region indicate the Blue Jay population has remained stable in this region  (0.3, p=0.34 Trend Graph S28); likewise, in the Great Lakes Transition region, numbers of this species do not seem to have changed significantly (-0.1, p=0.72 Trend Graph S20). On the other hand, survey-wide (US and Canada), this species has shown a significant decrease (-1.1, p=0.00 Trend Graph SUR). Much of the overall decline stems from a decline in the eastern BBS region.

References

• Batcheller, G.R., J.A. Bissonette and M.W. Smith. 1984. Towards reducing pecan losses to Blue Jays in Oklahoma. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 12:51-55.
• Best, L.B. and D.F. Stauffer. 1980. Factors affecting nesting success in riparian bird communities. Condor 82:149-158.
• Bock, C.E. and L.W. Lepthien. 1976. Changing winter distribution and abundance of the Blue Jay, 1962-1971. Am. Midl. Nat. 96:232-236.
• Brewer, R., G.A. McPeek and R.J. Adams, Jr. 1991. The atlas of breeding birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing.
• Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, J.M. Cooper, G.W. Kaiser, et al. 1997. The birds of British Columbia. Vol. 3: flycatchers through vireos. Univ. of British Columbia Press, Vancouver.
• Cohen, S.M. 1977. Blue Jay vocal behavior. Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
• Engels, T.M. and C.W. Sexton. 1994. Negative correlation of Blue Jays and Golden-cheeked Warblers near an urbanizing area. Conserv. Biol. 8:286-290.
• Friedmann, H. 1963. Host relations of the parasitic cowbirds. .S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 233:1-233.
• Godfrey, W.E. 1986. The birds of Canada. Rev. ed. Natl. Mus. of Can., Ottawa.
• Graber, J.W., R.R. Graber and E.L. Kirk. 1987. Illinois birds: Corvidae. Ill. Nat. Hist. Surv. Biol. Notes 126:3-17.
• Hardy, J.W. 1961. Studies in behavior and phylogeny of certain New World Jays (Garrulinae). Univ. Kans. Sci. Bull. 42:13-149.
• Gutkin, R.E. 1978. The reproductive behavior of Blue Jays and an analysis of communal breeding. M.S. thesis, Bloomsburg State College, Bloomsburg, PA.
• Hickey, J.J. 1952. Survival studies of banded birds. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. Wildl. 15:1-177.
• Hickey, M.B. and M.C. Brittingham. 1991. Population dynamics of Blue Jays at a bird feeder. Wilson Bull. 103:401-414.
• Kennard, J.H. 1980. Resident Blue Jays in New Hampshire. N. Am. Bird Bander 5:54-56.
• Laskey, A.R. 1958. Blue Jays at Nashville, Tennessee: movements, nesting, age. Bird-Banding 29:211-218.
• Montague, C.L. and W.H. Montague. 1985. Gray squirrel kills and eats Blue Jay fledgling. Fla. Field Nat. 2:46-47.
• Picman, J.L. and M. Schriml. 1994. A camera study of temporal patterns of nest predation in different habitat types. Wilson Bull. 106:456-465.
• Rothstein, S.I. 1975. An experimental and teleonomic investigation of avian brood parasitism. Condor 77:250-271.
• Sauer, J.R., J.E. Hines and J. Fallon. 2001. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966-2000. Version 2001.2, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.
• Shaffer, B.S. and B.W. Baker. 1991. Observations of predation on a juvenile Blue Jay by a fox squirrel. Tex. J. Sci. 43:105-106.
• Sherrod, S.K. 1978. Diets of North American falconiformes. J. Raptor Res. 12:49-121.
• Smith, K.G. 1978. Range extension of the Blue Jay into western North America. Bird-Banding 49:208-214.
• Smith, K.G. 1986a. Western range extension of the Blue Jay. Utah Birds 2:4-9.
• Smith, K.G. 1986b. Winter population dynamics of tree species of mast-eating birds in the Eastern United States. Wilson Bull. 98:407-418.
• Smith, K.G. 1986c. Winter population dynamics of Blue Jays, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and Northern Mockingbirds in the Ozarks. Am. Midl. Nat. 115:52-62.
• Smith, K.G. and T. Scarlett. 1987. Mast production and winter populations of Red-headed Woodpeckers and Blue Jays. J. Wildl. Manage. 51:459-467.
• Stewart, P.A. 1982. Migration of Blue Jays in eastern North America. N. Am. Bird Bander 7:107-112.
• Tarvin, K.A. 1998. The influence of habitat variation on demography of Blue Jays in south-central Florida. Ph.D. diss., Univ. of South Florida, Tampa.
• Tarvin, K.A. and K.G. Smith. 1995. Microhabitat factors influencing predation and success of suburban Blue Jay nests. J. Avian Biol. 26:296-304.
• Van Horn, D. 1978. First breeding record of a Blue Jay in Oregon. Murrelet 59:70.
• Wenger, J.D. 1975. Geographical variation and migratory movements in the Blue Jay. Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
• Wilcove, D.S. Nest predation in forest tracts and the decline of migratory songbirds. Ecology 66:1211-1214.
• Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. 2002. Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas.
• Woolfenden, G.E. and S.A. Rohwer. 1969a. Breeding birds in a Florida suburb. Bull. Fla. State Mus. 13:1-83.