facts about the gray jay
By zteve t evans
The Gray, or Grey jay has a breeding range that extends from northern parts of Canada and Alaska, southwards through the forests to northern California on the Pacific coast, the Rocky Mountains including parts of New Mexico and Arizona, in the Midwest, northern parts of Wisconsin, and in the east New York state.
Winter is the non-breeding season for these birds and their range is very much the same as their breeding range though weather conditions may force them to seek lower altitudes and they may follow food resources.
Their most common habitat is coniferous and coniferous-deciduous forests of spruce, fir, aspens and birch trees. The Gray jay has never been observed and recorded anywhere other than North America.
Description
Gray jays are larger and similar in appearance to the chickadee. These jays are crestless with a pale, grey body and a long tail and short beaks. Male and female look very much the same.
Adult Gray jay's wingspan is around 18 inches and they are about 11.5 inches long, weighing around 2.5 ounces. Adolescent birds are a sooty colouration with whitish stripes and grey beaks.
Breeding
The adult male chooses a site to build a nest in its forest range, usually in a spruce or fir tree. The nest is usually situated between 5-12 feet from the ground though sometimes as high as 30 feet. Males build a cup- shaped nest using local materials such as bark, moss, grass, twigs, and lichen spider's webs, and will use soft grass feathers, moss, fur and hair to line it.
Gray jays begin their breeding season in March and finish in the middle of May. In some parts of their range there may still be snow still on the ground and below freezing temperatures when breeding begins.
The female lays 3 or 4 eggs which is her task to incubate alone, taking about 16-18 days. The eggs are often greenish and speckled with a pale grey though the green can vary slightly in shade. When the chicks hatch both parents feed them until they fledge after 22-24 days.
Their most common habitat is coniferous and coniferous-deciduous forests of spruce, fir, aspens and birch trees. The Gray jay has never been observed and recorded anywhere other than North America.
Description
Gray jays are larger and similar in appearance to the chickadee. These jays are crestless with a pale, grey body and a long tail and short beaks. Male and female look very much the same.
Adult Gray jay's wingspan is around 18 inches and they are about 11.5 inches long, weighing around 2.5 ounces. Adolescent birds are a sooty colouration with whitish stripes and grey beaks.
Breeding
The adult male chooses a site to build a nest in its forest range, usually in a spruce or fir tree. The nest is usually situated between 5-12 feet from the ground though sometimes as high as 30 feet. Males build a cup- shaped nest using local materials such as bark, moss, grass, twigs, and lichen spider's webs, and will use soft grass feathers, moss, fur and hair to line it.
Gray jays begin their breeding season in March and finish in the middle of May. In some parts of their range there may still be snow still on the ground and below freezing temperatures when breeding begins.
The female lays 3 or 4 eggs which is her task to incubate alone, taking about 16-18 days. The eggs are often greenish and speckled with a pale grey though the green can vary slightly in shade. When the chicks hatch both parents feed them until they fledge after 22-24 days.
Diet
These birds are omnivorous, eating berries, carrion, eggs, young nestling birds, fungi and insects, and almost anything else it comes across. The Gray jay has the ability to store food having salivary glands that can produce sticky saliva. It creates a bolus from the food impregnated with saliva and sticks it to sheltered parts of trees.
They have been known to spend 17 hours a day in this task producing over a 1,000 of these food storage units for future use. This is thought to be one of the reasons why the Gray jay has adapted so well to its harsh environment.
Conservation
The Gray jay does not appear to under threat at present although there is no reliable information available and there are no special measures in place.
© 30/10/2009 zteve t evans
These birds are omnivorous, eating berries, carrion, eggs, young nestling birds, fungi and insects, and almost anything else it comes across. The Gray jay has the ability to store food having salivary glands that can produce sticky saliva. It creates a bolus from the food impregnated with saliva and sticks it to sheltered parts of trees.
They have been known to spend 17 hours a day in this task producing over a 1,000 of these food storage units for future use. This is thought to be one of the reasons why the Gray jay has adapted so well to its harsh environment.
Conservation
The Gray jay does not appear to under threat at present although there is no reliable information available and there are no special measures in place.
© 30/10/2009 zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright zteve t evans October 30, 2009
File:Gray jay yellowstone Oct 2007.jpg From Wikimedia Commons - Gray Jay in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - Author: Ealdgyth - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic licence.
Copyright zteve t evans October 30, 2009
File:Gray jay yellowstone Oct 2007.jpg From Wikimedia Commons - Gray Jay in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - Author: Ealdgyth - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic licence.
- File:Gray Jay RWD1.jpg From Wikimedia Commons - Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) at Wonder Lake in Denali National Park, Alaska - Author DickDaniels (http://carolinabirds.org/) - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence
- Gray jay From Wikipedia
- Animal Diversity Web - Perisoreus canadensisgray jay