Western blue jay (SciiFii)

The western blue jay (Cyanocitta caeruleus) is a species of passerine bird in the family Corvidae, most closely related to eastern blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata), even more closely related to blue jays than Steller's jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) are to blue jays, that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across western North America to help boost biodiversity. The western blue jay is predominantly blue, with a dark bluish-grey chest and underparts, and a blue crest; it has a dark black, U-shaped collar around its neck, a black border behind the crest, and a black "mask" over its eyes. Males and females are similar in size and plumage, and plumage does not vary throughout the year. The western blue jay feeds mainly on seeds and nuts, such as acorns, which it may hide to eat later; soft fruits; arthropods; and occasionally small vertebrates. It typically gleans food from trees, shrubs, and the ground, and sometimes hawks insects from the air. Western blue jays can be very aggressive to other birds; they sometimes raid nests, and have decapitated other birds. Their voice is typical of most jays in being varied, but the most commonly recognized sound is the alarm call, which is a loud, almost gull-like scream. There is also a high-pitched jayer-jayer call that increases in speed as the bird becomes more agitated. This particular call can be easily confused with the chickadee's song because of the slow-starting chick-ah-dee-ee. Western blue jays will use these calls to band together to mob potential predators such as hawks and drive them away from the jays' nests. It builds an open cup nest in the branches of a tree; both sexes participate. The clutch may be two to seven eggs, which are blueish or light brown with brown spots. Young are altricial, and are brooded by the female for 8–12 days after hatching. They may stay with their parents for one to two months. The conservation status of the western blue jay is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the western blue jay's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii