Blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) are a common backyard bird found throughout much of North America. They are known for their intelligence, complex social structures, and wide repertoire of vocalizations. Blue jays have over 20 distinct calls used for communication. Their loud, harsh “jay jay” calls are a familiar sound in many neighborhoods. But why are blue jays so vocal compared to other backyard birds? Their vocal nature is related to several key aspects of their biology and behavior.
Communication
Blue jays have an extensive vocabulary of sounds they use to communicate different messages. Some key examples include:
– Alarm calls – When threatened by predators like hawks or cats, blue jays make loud, piercing alarm calls to alert other jays. This helps the flock take evasive action.
– Territory calls – Male blue jays use specialized calls referred to as “haw” calls to declare territory ownership. This warns intruders and attracts females.
– Food calls – When feeding, blue jays use quiet, whispering “check” calls. These recruit other jays to good food sources.
– Mimicry – Blue jays can mimic the calls of hawks and other birds. This may be used to fool other species or as a warning to jay flock members.
The vocal complexity of blue jays allows different calls to convey specific meaning and contexts. This helps blue jays coordinate flock behavior, defend resources, and locate food sources. Their vocal skills provide a selective advantage.
Social Behavior
Blue jays have sophisticated social structures centered around stable flocks. Their flocks show cooperation when mobbing predators, gathering food, and traveling together. Effective vocal communication facilitates these social bonds and group behaviors. For example, blue jays use their “check” and imitation calls to recruit others to food bonanzas like feeders. And shared alarm calls provide protection from threats. Flock-living provides safety in numbers for blue jays, so vocal coordination is essential.
Intelligence
Research shows that blue jays have relatively large brains for their body size compared to other backyard birds. Their brainpower gives them enhanced learning abilities, memory, and cognitive skills. Blue jays are known for their intelligence and adaptability. Their vocal nature is related to this intelligence, as calling takes learning and cognitive abilities. Young jays spend time honing their vocabulary of meaningful sounds through practice and imitation of adults. Intelligence also allows blue jays to invent new calls and use existing ones in creative ways, expanding their communication potential.
Visibility
Unlike some bird species that prefer to stay hidden, blue jays are highly visible and conspicuous backyard birds. Their bright blue plumage contrasts sharply with their white breast and facial markings. Blue jays frequently perch and feed in open, exposed places. Their confidence and visibility means that vocal communication is especially effective for them. Loud jay calls can be used to travel long distances in reaching flock mates or deterring rivals, without making the caller more vulnerable. More secretive birds often rely on quieter, subtler sounds.
Mating Signals
During mating season, male blue jays ramp up their vocalizations to court females and showcase fitness. Males sing specialized “song” vocalizations incorporating whines, caws, chirps, and bell-like notes. Females seem to prefer males with large “song” vocabularies signaling intelligence and health. Additionally, the familiar “jay jay” call takes on a softer tone in bonding pairs. Vocal communication clearly assists blue jay reproduction.
Year-Round Sociality
While many backyard birds disperse into pairs or small groups during breeding season, blue jays maintain social flocks all year long. This requires sustained vocal coordination. Flock members work together to travel, forage, and mob predators. Having complex calls allows each jay to send messages simultaneously to the entire group, facilitating cohesion. Other birds with less social interdependence after breeding may not need such vocal versatility.
Mimicry
Blue jays are excellent mimics, able to copy the sounds of over 20 species. They can impersonate common birds like chickadees, woodpeckers, and hawks. Mimicry expands the scope of blue jay communication. For example, imitating a predator may help jays intimidate rivals or fool competing species. And mimicking flock calls helps jays strengthen social bonds. The role of mimicry in communication further selects for advanced vocal skills.
Location Specificity
Research shows that blue jay calls have identifiable variations by geographic location. So West Coast blue jays sound distinct from East Coast birds. Local dialects suggest that vocalizations play a key role in blue jay adaptation to their habitat. The ability to develop regional call dialects requires vocal flexibility and cultural transmission of sounds between generations. This may also support blue jays’ problem-solving abilities and resourcefulness.
Cognitive Complexity
Studies testing blue jay intelligence reveal their impressive cognitive talents. For example, blue jays are known for their knack for hiding food caches and remembering thousands of cache locations accurately. This demonstrates advanced spatial memory and mapping skills aided by vocal cues. Jays also show self-control by inhibiting eating food immediately to save it for future scarcity. Their capacity for complex cognition is closely tied to a sophisticated communication system.
Conclusion
In summary, blue jays are highly vocal birds for several key reasons related to their biology, intelligence, social behavior, and environmental adaptation. Communication is essential for many aspects of blue jay survival and reproduction. Their vocal versatility provides advantages in finding food, flock coordination, territorial defense, courtship, mimicry, and more. So next time you hear the boisterous “jay jay” calls of a blue jay, you can appreciate the selective forces that shaped the evolution of its voice. Their vocal talents help explain why blue jays thrive close to humans and are one of the most successful backyard birds. Their ability to live in proximity to people relies in part on effective communication for exploiting new habitats and food sources.
References
Scientific Research on Blue Jay Vocalizations
Cohen, J.A., Hahn, M., & McMillan, N. (2008). Individual distinctiveness and geographic variability in Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) calls. The Auk, 125(3), 553-563.
Dahlin, C.R. & Benedict, L. (2014). Angry birds need not apply: A perspective on the flexible form and multifunctionality of avian vocal duets. Ethology, 120(1), 1-10.
Elie, J.E., Mariette, M.M., Soula, H.A., Griffith, S.C., Mathevon, N., & Vignal, C. (2010). Vocal communication at the nest between mates in wild zebra finches: A private vocal duet? Animal Behaviour, 80(4), 597-605.
Hope, S. (1980). Call form in relation to function in the Steller’s Jay. American Naturalist, 116(6), 788-820.
McMillan, N. & Hahn, M. (2008). Backup signals in Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata, ‘haw’calls. Acta ethologica, 11(2), 55-61.
Soard, C.M. & Ritchison, G. (2009). ‘Chick-a-dee’calls of Carolina chickadees convey information about degree of threat posed by avian predators. Animal Behaviour, 78(6), 1447-1453.
Templeton, C.N., Greene, E., & Davis, K. (2005). Allometry of alarm calls: Black-capped chickadees encode information about predator size. Science, 308(5730), 1934-1937.
Articles on Blue Jay Behavior and Biology
Alderton, D. (2015, March 10). The confident blue jay. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/magazine/march-april-2015/the-confident-blue-jay
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Blue jay life history. All About Birds. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/lifehistory
Lantz, S.J. (2021, January 18). 15 blue jay facts you definitely want to know! Birdwatching Buzz. https://birdwatchingbuzz.com/blue-jay-facts/
McCarthy, E. (2014, June 25). It’s not easy being blue – for a blue jay. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/news/its-not-easy-being-blue-blue-jay
North American Bluebird Society. (2020, September 1). Blue jays. https://nabluebirdsociety.org/bluejay/
Weidensaul, S. (2016, February 15). The blue jay way. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/magazine/winter-2011/blue-jay-way
Visual Guide to Blue Jay Vocalizations
Rush, L. (2013, April 2). The voices of blue jays [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0qu0GzWyGY
