* Jay a common name for a group of birds of the family that includes crows, ravens and magpies. Most jays are brightly colored and have crests. They tend to be woodland birds, although several species now live in cities. Jays feed on nuts, seeds, fruit, small amphibians, insects and other invertebrates, and sometimes the eggs and young of other birds.
* Jays are aggressive and are known to drive other birds from their nest, devouring the eggs and nestlings.
* The female lays three to six greenish eggs with brown spots in a grass-lined nest of sticks.
* Most American Jays are tropical, living in Central and South America, including the blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata). Jays are about 12 inches (30 cm) in length, including their long tails. Some species have prominent crests.
* The most common North American jay is th eblue jay of the eastern United States. The blue jay has a bright blue crest and back. The wings and tail are barred with black and tipped with white, and there is a black V-shaped marking on the neck.
* Scientific Classification : Jays belong to the family Corvidae of the order Passeriformes.
* There are about 45 species of jays in the world, half of which are found in North America.
* Jays are shy, live in trees and are usually seen in groups of twos & threes but are not particularly gregarious.
* Jays hop instead of walking.
* Female Jays dominate their mates, forcing the males to feed them and to take turns in incubation.
* Incubating Jays usually sit tight on the nest on the approach of man and trustfully allow themselves to be lifted from it.
* Young Jays stay close to their parents upon leaving their nests and accompany the parents in flight, chattering excitedly.
* The tufted Jays somtimes eats while hanging upside down.
* Although the Jay is omnivorous (eating fruit, eggs, chicks & insects) its main food is acorns, These it will remove from an oak tree & bury in the ground for future consumption. The Jay is a primary agent in regenerating the oak because it never remembers where all its acorns are buried.
* All the most intelligent species of birds (including the Jay) are "Nidicolous". They have shorter incubation periods than "Nidifugous" birds and the chicks are less well developed at birth. However, after birth, the nidicolous chicks eat more, stay longer in the nest and acquire a larger brain than the nidifugous species.
* The Siberian Jay cannot bury food supplies as its habitat is usually covered in snow. To cope with this, it has evolved enlarged saliva glands. It simply glues its food to trees with its saliva.
* Jays enjoy playing. In captivity they will drop balls to see them bounce and hide coins. In the wild they indulge in anting: squatting over ants and allowing them to swarm all over their bodies. This is followed by a thorough bath and preening of feathers.
* The call varies from a loud jay-jay to a musical three-note song. Members of some species mimic the calls of other birds. In the wild it will imitate the call of hawks, kestrels, owls and squirrels. It will also make popping noises which some ornithologists believe to be a mimic of a gun. In captivity one Jay acquired a vocabulary of 50 sounds including the call of a guinea pig, the miaow of a cat, the squeak of a water bucket, it's owner's voice and the call of a rag & bone man.
* Jays are adaptable and have taken advantage of man's environment. In Florida, they congregate round water sprinklers, catching drops of water. The Rio Grande green Jay appears to be particularly inquisitive, entering tents and houses in search of food in parts of Texas.
* Stellar's Jay: It is often mistakenly called the Blue Jay. This Jay is a typical member of the Corvidae family, sharing its loud calls, bold nature and scavenging habits with crows and other Jays. It has a dark crest on its head which it can puff up or fold back along its head. Corvidae are considered to be one of the most intelligent and adaptable family of birds in the world. Stellar's Jay got it's from George Stellar, the German Naturalist who accompanied Vitrius Bering on his trip to discover the Bering Straight. It is larger than a robin. This Jay can be told apart from its close cousin because it has a solid black head and neck, with irridescent blue back and body. It has tiny white eyebrows. Males and females look the same. It prefers to perch in trees where it can escape into thick branches if threatened.