4 sspp., see text Corvus cristatus Linnaeus, 1758 The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America.

The blue jay feeds mainly on seeds and nuts, such as acorns, which it may hide to eat later;[2] soft fruits; arthropods; and occasionally small vertebrates.

[5] The blue jay was first described as Pica glandaria cærulea cristata in English naturalist Mark Catesby's 1731 publication of Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahamas.

[7] In the 19th century, the jay was described by French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1838 as Cyanocorax cristatus in A geographical and comparative list of the birds of Europe and North America,[8] and given its modern scientific name Cyanocitta cristata by Hugh Edwin Strickland in 1845.

The blue jay occurs from southern Canada and throughout the eastern and central United States south to Florida and northeastern Texas.

The western edge of the range stops where the arid pine forest and scrub habitat of the closely related Steller's jay (C. stelleri) begins, generally in the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Recently, the range of the blue jay has extended northwestwards so that it is now a rare but regularly seen winter visitor along the northern US and southern Canadian Pacific Coast.

Thousands of blue jays have been observed to migrate in flocks along the Great Lakes and Atlantic coasts.

Likely, it is related to weather conditions and how abundant the winter food sources are, which can determine whether other northern birds will move south.

[25] The blue jay occupies a variety of habitats within its large range, from the pine woods of Florida to the spruce-fir forests of northern Ontario.

Virtually all the raptorial birds sympatric in distribution with the blue jay may prey upon it, especially swift bird-hunting specialists such as the Accipiter hawks.

Young individuals playfully snatch brightly colored or reflective objects, such as bottle caps or pieces of aluminum foil, and carry them around until they lose interest.

[37] They have strong black bills which they use for cracking nuts, usually while holding them with their feet, and for eating corn, grains and seeds.

[38] Its food is sought both on the ground and in trees and includes virtually all known types of plant and animal sources, such as acorns and beech mast, weed seeds, grain, fruit, and other berries, peanuts, bread, meat, small invertebrates of many types, scraps in town parks, bird-table food and rarely eggs and nestlings.

It is cup-shaped and composed of twigs, small roots, bark strips, moss, other plant material, cloth, paper, and feathers, with occasional mud added to the cup.

[32] After the juveniles fledge, the family travels and forages together until early fall, when the young birds disperse to avoid competition for food during the winter.

The oldest known wild, banded Blue Jay was at least 26 years, 11 months old when it was found dead after being caught in fishing gear.

[42] Beyond predation and the occasional collision with man-made objects, a common cause of mortality in recent decades has been the West Nile virus, to which corvids as a whole seem especially susceptible.

[31] Blue jays can make a large variety of sounds, and individuals may vary perceptibly in their calling style.

[43] 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.

In old African-American folktales of the southern United States, the blue jay was a significant metaphysical creature.

In some tales, the blue jay was credited with making the earth "when all de worl' was water" by bringing the first "grit" or "dirt."

In other tales the blue jay was temporarily conscripted as a servant of the devil and would not be seen on Friday as it was gathering twigs to furnish hell's kindling and give fire to wicked men on Earth; relieved from duty on Saturday, its song for the day was abundant and joyous.

[44][45] An anthropomorphic blue jay named Mordecai is one of the main characters of the Cartoon Network animated television series Regular Show.