Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

Blue Jays are familiar inhabitants of parks, cemeteries and shaded residential areas in cities, towns and the Missouri countryside. They also reside and breed in upland forest edges, small, isolated woodlots and narrow riparian corridors (Terres 1987). Breeding Blue Jays prefer second growth forests with dense understories.

Code Frequency

These common birds are usually extremely easy to detect, however, they may become secretive around nest sites. Therefore, they likely bred in many blocks where they were only recorded as possible or probable breeders. Most of the blocks in which they were recorded as possible breeders were in heavily-forested regions where observations of breeding behavior would be more difficult.

Distribution

The Atlas Project confirmed that Blue Jays are distributed statewide. They were not recorded, however, in several adjacent blocks in various parts of the state. Because Blue Jays are usually easy to detect, they were likely absent or present in low numbers in those blocks during the Atlas Project.

Abundance

Survey results suggest a fairly uniform abundance statewide except slightly more are found in the north and fewer in the Mississippi Lowlands and along the western border.

Average Number of Birds / 100 stops

Phenology

Confirmed breeding observations accurately depict Blue Jay nesting phenology. Harrison (1975) reported two or even three broods. The late dates when nesting was observed may be attributable to second or third broods.

Notes

Blue Jays are described as rare Brown-headed Cowbird hosts (Terres 1987) and Alasers observed no evidence of parasitism during this project.

Breeding Evidence

Reported in 1118 (98.4%) of 1,207 blocks

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