Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Blue Jay [lateral view of adult]: Photograph Credit: Stephen J. Stedman; City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee; 13 February 2012.

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Abundance: Common during all seasons, but most so during mid-autumn; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); the Regional breeding population is undoubtedly stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Permanent Resident; specimen (3 June 1938; Coopersville, Wayne County, Kentucky; W. M. Perrygo; Wetmore 1940); photograph (also see above).

Regional High Count and FBC/FBB High Count: 770 (3 October 2009; White County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.; see also Remarks [below]); CBC/CBB High Count: 551 (27 December 2009; White County, Tennessee [CBC]; m. ob.); and SBC/SBB High Count: 269 (12 May 2007; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.).

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent).  During the atlas projects in Kentucky and Tennessee, this species was confirmed in many Regional counties, and the same took place in most of the Regional counties where recent foray efforts have been conducted.  This species' nesting cycle coincides with the breeding of many other songbirds, the eggs and small young of which provide sustenance for young jays still in and just fledged from the nest.

Habitat: Quite catholic and likely to be found in almost any vegetated habitat; oak-hickory forests often frequented, especially during winter. A common bird of yards and neighborhoods where feeding stations are maintained.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 115 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 198 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, leading to a YardWatch frequency classification of Common in each year; this YardWatch frequency classification is quite consistent with the overall Regional abundance classification for this corvid.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: A conspicuous spring migrant during late April and early May and an even more conspicuous fall migrant during the latter half of September and the first half of October (see also Regional High Count [above]), often being observed in small- (c. 10–20 individuals) to medium-sized (20–50 individuals) flocks headed northeast during spring and southwest during fall, usually at 150–200 feet of altitude (i.e., somewhat above treetops). Migrants are typically first-year birds that leave the natal site, migrate south several hundred km or more to southeastern sites where they spend their first winter, and return to breed in an area fairly far from their natal sites, thus randomizing the gene pool.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited