Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Home
Today's Show: Bird Sound Types and Qualities Part III
Swainson's Thrush
Listen In
  • Today's Show
  • Listen
    • BirdNote Daily
    • Bring Birds Back
    • Threatened
    • BirdNote Presents
    • Sound Escapes
    • How to Listen
  • Explore
    • Field Notes
    • Sights & Sounds
    • Birdwatching
    • Resources for Educators
  • How to Help Birds
    • At Home
    • In Your Community
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • The Team
    • Board Members
    • DEI/IDEA Commitment
    • Partners
    • For Radio Stations
    • Funding
    • FAQs
    • Support BirdNote
  • Donate

Meet the Blue Jay

October 17, 2019
One of the most familiar birds of the Eastern US
Listen Now
Subscribe
  • Share This:
  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to Email
Blue Jay Expand Image
© Pat Hemlepp

If we had to pick one bird’s voice to symbolize our Eastern woodlands, the Blue Jay’s voice would likely be it. And as a frequent visitor to back yards and bird feeders, the Blue Jay is among the most recognized birds of the region. Nearly a foot long, Blue Jays can be loud and assertive when they approach a bird feeder, pushing smaller songbirds aside. But when nesting, the same jays can sneak to and from their nests with uncanny secrecy.

If you ever miss a BirdNote, you can always get the latest episode. Just tell your smart speaker “play the podcast BirdNote.”

  • Full Transcript
  • Credits

BirdNote®  

Meet the Blue Jay

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote.

[Blue Jay calls] 

If we had to pick one bird’s voice to symbolize our Eastern woodlands, the Blue Jay’s voice would likely be it. [Blue Jay calls] Its familiar calls ring year-round through deciduous forests east of the Rockies. [Blue Jay calls]

And as a frequent visitor to back yards and bird feeders, the Blue Jay is among the most widely recognized birds of the region. As well as one of the most colorful: its upperparts glint bright blue from the tip of the tail to the peak of its stylish crest.

Nearly a foot long, Blue Jays can be loud and assertive when they approach a bird feeder, pushing smaller songbirds aside. [Blue Jay calls loudly] But when nesting, the same jays can be as stealthy and quiet as the most expert ninjas, sneaking to and from their nests with uncanny secrecy. 

And as familiar as the typical call might be, these birds are immensely creative vocalists, with a large vocabulary of other calls, including piping notes [Blue Jay piping notes], rattles [Blue Jay “rattles”], and astute mimicry of birds of prey, such as the Red-shouldered Hawk. [Blue Jay mimics a Red-shouldered Hawk]

To see a photo of this bird, and all we feature on the show, come to our website birdnote.org. For BirdNote, I’m Mary McCann.  

[Blue Jay calls]

###

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Call of Blue Jay [176157] recorded by G.A. Keller; piping notes of Blue Jay [13448] by R.S. Little; “rattles” of Blue Jay [94220] by W.L. Hershberger; mimic of Red-shouldered Hawk [13448 after 1:35] by R.S. Little.

BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org   October 2018/2019   Narrator: Mary McCann.

ID#  BLJA-01-2013-10-30BLJA-01

Bob Sundstrom
Writer
Mary McCann
Narrator
Pat Hemlepp
Photographer
Tags: East, sound, urban

Related Resources

Blue Jay - More at All About Birds

More About These Birds

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Cyanocitta cristata

Sights & Sounds

Related Field Notes

February 10, 2020

Tweets 'n' Squawks: Learn How to Identify Birds by Song

By Adam Sedgley
Nothing signals spring quite like singing birds.
December 4, 2016

The Sounds of Nine Special Birds

By BirdNote Gallery
Can't get enough bird sounds?

Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about the natural world – and take steps to protect it.

Support BirdNote

  • About
  • Annual Report
  • Contact
  • Science Advisory Council
  • Pitch Page
  • Sights & Sounds
Sign up for our newsletter!
  • BirdNote on Facebook
  • BirdNote on Twitter
  • BirdNote on Instagram

Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.

  • Privacy Policy