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Mordecai is a fictional blue jay character that first appeared in the Cartoon Network series Regular Show. He is one of the main characters along with his best friend Rigby. Mordecai is laidback, responsible, and intelligent compared to Rigby. His species, the blue jay, is a passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae. Blue jays are indigenous to North America and known for their bright blue plumage and loud, sometimes aggressive behavior.
Identifying Characteristics of Blue Jays
Blue jays have several identifiable characteristics that set them apart from other birds:
Blue Plumage
The most striking feature of blue jays is their predominantly blue plumage. The blue color comes from light refracting through their feathers, which have a complex structure. The only parts of a blue jay that aren’t blue are its face, throat, wings, and tail.
Crest
Blue jays have a conspicuous crest on top of their heads. The crest is made of feathers that can be raised or lowered. When a blue jay feels threatened, it will often raise its crest to appear more intimidating.
White and Black Markings
In addition to blue plumage, blue jays have white and black markings on their wings and tail. These white and black bands and spots help distinguish them from other blue-colored birds like bluebirds and indigo buntings.
Large Size
Blue jays are one of the larger songbirds found in North America. They range from 9 to 12 inches in length with a wingspan around 13 to 17 inches. Their relatively large size compared to other songbirds makes them easy to spot.
Loud, Harsh Call
The typical blue jay call is a loud, harsh “jay! jay!” Though they have a wide variety of vocalizations, their loud primary call is hard to miss and often gives away their presence before you see them.
Blue Jay Behavior
In addition to physical characteristics, blue jays have some distinctive behaviors:
Boisterous Foragers
Blue jays are intelligent, social birds that often travel in noisy flocks while foraging. They have a varied diet including seeds, nuts, fruits, insects, frogs, eggs, and small animals. Their strong bills allow them to crack into tough foods.
Mimicry
One of the blue jay’s most fascinating behaviors is its ability to mimic the calls of hawks and other birds. Their mimicry can be extremely convincing and allows them to fool other birds into fleeing from food sources.
Caching Food
Blue jays are known for caching or storing food in thousands of different hiding spots for later retrieval. Their excellent memory allows them to find these stored foods even months later.
Intelligence and Complex Social Structures
In addition to food caching, blue jays demonstrate their intelligence through complex social interactions within large extended family flocks. Young jays take up to four years to gain full independence.
Aggressive Territoriality
Blue jays are territorial and aggressive, especially when defending nests or food sources. They are bold when confronting potential predators and will attack much larger animals. Their aggressiveness is sometimes considered a nuisance by humans.
Blue Jay Habitat
The range and habitat preferences of blue jays provide additional identification clues:
Range
Blue jays are widespread throughout eastern and central North America. Their range extends:
- From southern Canada through the eastern and central United States
- West to Texas and south to Florida
- On the Pacific coast from southern British Columbia to California
Forest Edges
Though found in both open and dense woodlands, blue jays prefer forest edges. This includes woodland borders, parks, suburban areas with trees, and tree-lined streets.
Backyard Habitat
The affinity for forest edges makes blue jays a common sight in backyards, especially if large trees are present. Food and water sources will make a backyard even more attractive.
Avoids Dense Forest
While blue jays adapt readily to human settlements, they tend to avoid dense, extensive forests. The openness of forest edges suits their lifestyle better.
Winter Range Shifts
Some northern blue jay populations migrate south for the winter while others remain year-round on breeding territory. Migrants follow forest edge habitat to their winter grounds.
Distinguishing Blue Jays from Similar Birds
Several bird species share one or more characteristics with blue jays. But certain differences help distinguish blue jays:
Steller’s Jays
Blue Jay | Steller’s Jay |
---|---|
Blue and white plumage | Blue, black, and white plumage |
Black necklace | Black forehead and more extensive black markings |
White underside | Dark gray underside |
Found east of Rockies | Found west of Rockies |
Bluebirds
Blue Jay | Bluebird |
---|---|
Crested | No crest |
Blue, black, and white | All blue |
Heavily streaked underside | Plain blue underside |
Calls are harsh | Soft warbling songs |
Indigo Bunting
Blue Jay | Indigo Bunting |
---|---|
Much larger | Small, sparrow-sized |
Blue, black, and white | Blue and brown, no black or white |
Conspicuous crest | No crest |
White underside | Rusty brown underside |
Scrub Jays
Blue Jay | Scrub Jay |
---|---|
White face and throat | White eyebrow and dark face |
Blue back | Blue wings and tail, gray back |
White spots on wings | No white wing spots |
White underside | Pale gray underside |
Conclusion
In summary, Mordecai the blue jay can be identified by his blue, black, and white plumage; crest; large size; white face; noisy behavior; adaptability to human settlements; and eastern North American range. Traits like mimicking calls and caching food are also typical blue jay behaviors. While jays share some characteristics with similar species, the combination of blue, black, and white coloration; a black necklace; white underside; and rounded crest are unique to the familiar blue jay. So Mordecai accurately represents the attributes of a true blue jay.