Blue Jay

A medium-sized songbird known for its bold blue, white, and black plumage and prominent crest. This specific feather represents the iconic tail which flashes white in flight. Blue Jays are highly intelligent and social birds.

Striking sky-blue to cerulean blue on the outer web with faint darker transverse barring (structural coloring); inner web is dark grey to black; tip features a prominent, clean white terminal band.

Pennaceous and tightly interlocked throughout most of the vane; plumulaceous (downy) at the very base; barbicels are present and functioning to maintain a cohesive surface.

Smooth and somewhat stiff; the blue side has a slight glossy sheen while the grey underside is matte; the trailing edge is flexible.

Bright blue structural coloration, distinct blackish transverse bars, and a broad, solid white tip on the outer vane.

Deciduous and mixed forests, edge habitats, parks, and suburban gardens with oak trees or bird feeders.

Resident throughout Eastern and Central North America, from Southern Canada down to Florida and Eastern Texas; some northern populations exhibit erratic migration.

Omnivorous; significant as 'forest planters' because they cache acorns and often forget where they buried them, allowing new oak trees to grow.

Steller\'s Jay (darker blue, no white tips); Florida Scrub-Jay (no barring or white tail tips).

Blue Jays are excellent mimics and can perfectly imitate the call of a Red-shouldered Hawk to frighten other birds away from feeders. The blue color is an illusion; there is no blue pigment in the feather.

Excellent condition; the white tip is clean and the barbs are fully intact with no visible fault bars or parasitic wear, suggesting a relatively fresh molt.