blue jay – today's bird

you haven’t appreciated blue jays until you’ve seen pictures of them up close with wings outstretched

I know it’s not like blue jays are underappreciated or anything. but like. can we just take a minute to look at them? literally every time i see them i’m just like “WOW” because they’re so visually appealing

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a normally colored blue jay feeds a pure white offspring. it’s likely the young bird has leucism, a reduction in pigmentation. birds with abnormal coloration rarely make it to adulthood – many young birds don’t make it to their first year of life anyway, but added pressure from predators and rejection from other birds can affect birds with plumage differences.

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two blue jays investigate a feeding station. native to north america, blue jays are a member of the corvid family, which also includes crows and ravens. the corvid family is known for thee intelligence and recorded tool use in several species.

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this unusual bird is the result of natural hybridization between a blue jay and a steller’s jay. while uncommon, they aren’t unheard of, and it’s likely some go unnoticed, as they can pass for a regular jay with slightly off coloration.

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I know it’s not a whole bird… Did you know Blue Jay feathers aren’t blue? The pigment found in these is melanin, so they are actually brown. They only appear blue due to a prism-like affect. Thanks also for reblogging my bird drawing!

no problem! thank you so much for sharing & submitting!

this blue jay has a strange unknown mutation that has affected the feathers on the face, crest, and neck.

this blue jay was spotted in nova scotia with a distinctly white head. this is due to leucism, a lack of pigmentation that can make animals appear lighter over their whole body or just certain parts, like in this bird.

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blue jay feathers are so pretty! [dont worry, i’m not keeping it]