Blue Jay facts:

• A large crested songbird, the Blue Jay is larger than a robin but smaller than a crow.  It is quite familiar to most people in the U.S., especially in the central and eastern portions of the country.
• Blue Jays have a large variety of calls that carry long distances, including raucous jeers, gurgling sounds, clicks, clucks, whirring sounds and clear whistled notes. They also can mimic the cry of a hawk.
• The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather barbs.