28.03.2024

Mockingjay: how to look and what to eat

Jay is a very sensitive bird that hears all the very first. Her sharp cries of able to warn all the inhabitants of the forest about the approach of large predators or humans.

In the forest, the Jay bird is a real Keeper and is accompanied by sharp cries all the movement of potentially dangerous objects.

Jay has undoubted talent to imitate the voices of other birds and animals as well as other diverse sounds. And very often in a remote forest, you can hear a meow house kitten – apparently, Jay has recently returned from the human villages.

The range and nature of the host jays

Jays are widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, Caucasus. You can find this unusual bird in Siberia, China, Japan, Mongolia, Korea and Sakhalin.

In Central Asia this bird in natural conditions is not found.

  1. Populations of this bird refers to the migratory, others are sedentary. This dependence is typical not only for Northern populations, but also for the European territories.
  2. Throughout the autumn and winter season, the jays wander through the woods. Autumn migration is observed in mid-September to half of November. Spring migration is in March.
  3. Birds inhabit forests – deciduous, coniferous and mixed. Special preference nestling jays gives oak groves and forests.
  4. In the South the bird nests among the high shrubs. In addition to forests, nestlings of the blue Jay can live in old parks and deciduous or coniferous thickets.
Appearance

Jay – forest bird, which got its name from the ancient forms of the verb “to Shine”.

The name Ptah has received for its bright plumage and lively fun character.

  1. The body of this bird is painted in a smooth beige color. The breast feathers have a more light color.
  2. The wings are embellished with blue, white and black spots, which are also called mirrors.
  3. The size of the bird’s body together with tail is less than 40 cm Nestling jays rugaetsa quite large and is rapidly gaining weight.
  4. The body weight of an adult individual does not exceed 200 grams.
  5. Legs have feathered dark brown.
  6. At the head of the bird has a cute tuft of feathers. If this crest is raised – this suggests that the bird is alarmed.
  7. The hallmark of the blue jays is bright plumage of the back, and bright blue crest on the head.
  8. The beak of this species are very strong and sharp, of a small size. It is perfectly adapted for cracking nuts, acorns and very firm fruit.

To see nestling jays firsthand is rare. However, it’s very common to hear and recognize his presence in close proximity to a very unpleasant sharp sounds that can produce this bird. She is very shy and will quickly fly from place to place, so to see her bright blue feathers only briefly among the branches.

The flight of the bird maneuverable and not too fast, however, so it is very convenient to move short distances.

Nestling jays rarely descends to the ground. On land it moves by short jumps. Mostly she prefers to move into the top tier of the trees. Night Jay, like most birds sleep.

Reproduction and life expectancy

The mating season of these birds begins in the spring.

Male when choosing a pair begins to COO, to make a lot of noise to dissolve your crest in the desire to please a female.

  1. Since mid-April, birds begin to form pairs and nesting. It usually occurs in places where jays settled in for a long time and they will not bother other birds.
  2. The nest the pair builds a collaborative effort. They use blades of grass, thin twigs, and scraps of wool. Nests were placed on the trunks of the trees on sturdy branches above a level of five feet from the ground.
  3. Eggs from birds spotted, yellowish-green. In one season the female lays 4 to 7 eggs.
  4. The question of who incubates the eggs, still remains controversial. Some ornithologists argue that it is the inheritance of females, while others believe that a male and female sitting in the nest alternately.
  5. In 15-17 days in the nest the Chicks appear. Adults watch over the Chicks until fall. After 20 days, the juveniles begin to show independence – fly from nests in attempts to locate food. Young individuals feed on caterpillars, which they mined parents. Over time, the grown Chicks jays moving entirely on vegetable food.
  6. A year later, the jays juveniles become sexually Mature.

The lifespan of these birds is on average 6 -7 years. In the world recorded the old Jay, who lived 16 years.

This bird is very active. Attempts of domestication can be very interesting and exciting experience and grow over time into a real affection.

The power of peresmeshnika

The diet of these birds is very varied and depends on the time of year.

Peresmeshnika consume both animal and vegetable food, which is produced on the trees and on the surface of the earth.

  1. In warm time of the year Chicks jays eat insects – worms, spiders , etc. It brings a forest of tremendous benefit in terms of pest control.
  2. In addition to insects, the bird willing to eat mice, frogs or lizards.
  3. Do not disdain these robber and other people’s nests, ruining them and eating Chicks and eggs.
  4. From plant foods of peresmeshnika prefer seeds, grains and berries. In General, vegetable products constitute the bulk of the diet of these birds. They love acorns, wild nuts, cherry and towering mountain ash berries.

These birds not only find food in the forest, but the rich make stocks for the winter, creating numerous closets. The bird is digging in the earth pits are of small depth and hides them in cones and acorns, nuts and berries. Then she buries paws of mink, and just covers things on top of their foliage and grass.

Nooks for their pantries Jay finds in the cracks of tree bark, among roots, or in crevices of a dry stump. Birds tend to keep their reserves there, where to catch fewer mice in dry coniferous forests.

Nuts and acorns, the bird carries not one, but at the same time for 7 pieces. To this end, it has a special pouch under the tongue. In winter, a Thrifty bird may procure up to 4 pounds of supplies. In winter, these deposits will be of use to her – they are willing to use squirrels and other small animals, starved over the long winter. In turn, Jay can detect protein the supplies and destroy them.

The nuts or acorns, which was a bird lost, unable to grow in the most remote from the oaken groves. Thus, seeds are spread and enrich forestry. In this way they reproduce not only oak, but also hazel, cherry, Rowan. Known cases when birds steal small potatoes.

Behaviors

The greatest activity all jays are showing in the daytime. At night they sleep like most other birds. But, in the daytime the bird is immersed in worry.

Seeing the approaching large predator or running man, Jay immediately alert everyone around her sharp cry. It will navigate through the woods, accompanying the object that represents the danger. For this beautiful and colorful bird called the forest guard. The timidity and caution of this bird brings undeniable benefits to herself and the surrounding wildlife.

The life of a little jays is full of different dangers, but her ability to hide will allow it to adapt to almost any environment.

With the advent of the offspring way of life of this feathered changes radically. At this time, the bird behaves as quietly and secretly. And in the fall when the young will grow stronger and stronger, the parents will again become active and cheerful. Flocks of birds begin to migrate from one forest to another.

Interesting relations between the jays works out with ants. Finding the ant hill, Jay nokluseta and starts jumping around. Insects crawl out of their homes and begin vigorously to spray her acid attacker feathered. Jay immediately gaining a beak full of ants and begins to shake them hard. So she can clean their feathers and to free them from parasites. Even a bird can sit on an anthill and allow the ants to move freely in its plumage.

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