Birds of the Week # 10
Blue Jay
The Blue Jay is a noisy, bold, and aggressive passerine. It is a moderately slow flier (roughly 32–40 km/h (20–25 mph)) when unprovoked. It flies with body and tail held level, with slow wing beats. Its slow flying speeds make this species easy prey for hawks and owls when it flies in open areas. Virtually all the raptorial birds sympatric in distribution with the blue jay may prey upon it, especially swift bird-hunting specialists such as the Accipiter hawks. Diverse predators may prey on jay eggs and young up to their fledgling stage, including tree squirrels, snakes, cats, crows, raccoons, opossums, other jays and possibly many of the same birds of prey who attack adults.
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbirds seem to periodically check on their eggs and young after they have deposited them. Removal of the parasitic egg may trigger a retaliatory reaction termed “mafia behavior”. According to one study the cowbird returned to ransack the nests of a range of host species 56% of the time when their egg was removed. In addition, the cowbird also destroyed nests in a type of “farming behavior” to force the hosts to build new ones. The cowbirds then laid their eggs in the new nests 85% of the time.
Blue Grosbeak
The blue grosbeak was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia caerulea. The specific epithet caerulea is the Latin word for “blue”, “azure-blue”, “sky-blue” or “dark-blue”. Linnaeus based his own description on the “blew gross-beak” described and illustrated by Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. The book had been published in 1729–1732. Catesby gave the location as Carolina and Linnaeus specified America. The type location is now restricted to South Carolina.
Northern Mockingbird
The Northern Mockingbird is known for its intelligence. A 2009 study showed that the bird was able to recognize individual humans, particularly noting those who had previously been intruders or threats. Also birds recognize their breeding spots and return to areas in which they had greatest success in previous years. Urban birds are more likely to demonstrate this behavior.
The mockingbird is influential in United States culture, being the state bird of five states, appearing in book titles, songs and lullabies, and making other appearances in popular culture.
© HJ Ruiz – Avian101
The Blue Grosbeak is gorgeous! That would be a lifer for me.
They are! Thank you very much, Deborah. 🙂
You’re welcome, HJ!
The Mockingbird is very common in Las Vegas.
The mockingbird is one of my favorite birds. They nest in my backyard! Thanks, John. 🙂
Your welcome, I just heard one in my palm tree in the backyard!
So wonderful to see these lovely North American birds and read a bit about each one, H.J., thank you. I liked seeing the blue grosbeak and bluejay, both birds we don’t have in Calif., and the flying mockingbird photo is gorgeous.
Thanks so much my friend, I appreciate it! 🙂
A splendid gallery of pictures, thank you.
Thanks a lot, Susan. 🙂
Never seen the Grosbeak. I knew the Cowbird was parasitic but wow! There is something in their makeup that they still bond with their young, maybe because they visit once in a while?
Yes! They are Wow! According to the stats, they are systematic on their behavior. Thank you, Jane. 🙂
I always love to see your gorgeous Blue Jays HJ. Is the Gosbeak in eclipse breeding plumage with its patchy plumage coloration or is that just how it looks normally ?
When the grosbeak is a juvenile the plumage shows the patchy rusty color and when adult, it shows full blue body and the rusty coloration only on the wings. Thank you, Ashley. 🙂
Thanks HJ 😊
Those bright blue blotches on the grosbeak is amazing!
Thank you, D. 🙂
These are each fabulous captures, HJ! 😊 The Northern Mockingbird in flight it stunning!
Thank you very much, Donna. 🙂