Meet Cyanocitta cristata - the Blue Jay.
Jays are a member of the corvid family which also includes crows, ravens and magpies.
A larger bird with a showy blue and white-appearing plumage with black accents. I use the term 'appear' as the feathers of this bird do not contain blue pigmentation. It is the refraction of sunlight that casts the blue hue.
This is a year-round
resident and will move only if there is a scarcity of food. To whit -
this bird caches food for future use. Like other members of the corvid family this is a noisy bird. They don't sing it likes to 'talk' and is not averse to mimic the call
of a hawk to frighten other birds from our backyard feeder. The name in the first line (above) translates literally to blue chattering bird.
The blue jay is fun to
observe and I have been privileged to observe a flock of them on rare
occasion and to be scolded by one while bow hunting. Even rarer is
getting a photo on a trail camera!
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