The Blue Jay is a passerine bird native to North America. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States and southern Canada, though western populations may be migratory. It is common near residential areas.
It is predominately blue with a white breast and underparts, and a blue crest. It has a black, U-shaped collar around its neck and a black border behind the crest. Male and female are similar in size and plumage, and plumage does not vary throughout the year.
The Blue Jay mainly feeds on nuts and seeds, soft fruits, arthropods, and occasionally small vertebrates. It typically gleans food from trees, shrubs, and the ground, though it sometimes hawks insects from the air. It builds an open cup nest in the branches of a tree, which both male and female participate in constructing. The clutch can contain 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 remain with their parents for one to two months before leaving the nest.
The Blue Jay measures 30 cm from bill to tail and weighs 100 gm, with a wingspan of 45 cm . There is a pronounced crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lowered according to the bird's mood. When excited or aggressive, the crest may be fully raised. When frightened, the crest bristles outwards, brushlike. When the bird is feeding among other jays or resting, the crest is flattened to the head.