There are a few different kinds of black birds that can have blue heads. The most common black birds with blue heads are Blue Jays, Steller’s Jays, Florida Scrub-Jays, and Eurasian Jays. Let’s take a closer look at each of these birds and what makes their heads blue.
Blue Jays
The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a common backyard bird found throughout eastern and central North America. Adults have blue upperparts with a white belly and throat, black collar, and a blue crest on their head. The blue coloration on a Blue Jay’s head comes from structural coloration, where specialized nanostructures in their feathers reflect specific wavelengths of light. This gives their heads an iridescent, blue sheen.
Blue Jays are highly intelligent and social birds. They have complex familial relationships and often mate for life. Blue Jays are omnivorous and eat everything from nuts and seeds to insects, frogs, and smaller birds. They have a loud, rasping call that sounds like “jay jay.”
Some key facts about Blue Jays:
- Scientific name: Cyanocitta cristata
- Length: 9-12 in
- Wingspan: 13-17 in
- Coloration: Blue upperparts, white underside, black necklace, blue crest
- Habitat: Woodlands, suburds, parks, backyards
- Diet: Omnivorous – eats seeds, nuts, fruits, insects, frogs, birds eggs
- Conservation status: Least Concern
Blue Jays are one of the most commonly sighted backyard birds with blue heads in North America. Their loud calls and striking blue plumage make them easy to identify.
Steller’s Jays
Steller’s Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) are a large, crested jay native to western North America. Like the Blue Jay, they have deep blue upperparts, a black necklace, and a pronounced blue crest on their heads. Their undersides have muted blue and gray streaking instead of solid white.
Steller’s Jays reside year-round in coniferous mountain forests on the Pacific coast and inland across western mountain ranges. They nest in tall trees and forage for insects, seeds, nuts, fruits and small animals. Steller’s Jays are highly intelligent, social, and vocal birds. Their harsh shrieks carry through the mountain forests.
Some key facts about Steller’s Jays:
- Scientific name: Cyanocitta stelleri
- Length: 12-13 in
- Wingspan: 15-17 in
- Coloration: Deep blue upperparts, black necklace, blue crest, muted blue/gray underside
- Habitat: Coniferous mountain forests
- Diet: Omnivorous – insects, seeds, nuts, fruits, eggs
- Conservation status: Least Concern
The striking blue crest and mountain forest habitat makes the Steller’s Jay a distinctive western counterpart to the Blue Jay.
Florida Scrub-Jays
The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is a threatened species found only in Florida. It has pale blue upperparts, lighter underparts, and a pronounced blue head with no crest. Its habitat is scrub oak vegetation, where it feeds on insects, nuts and seeds.
Florida Scrub-Jays form lifelong monogamous pairs and family groups. They are cooperative breeders, with older offspring helping raise younger siblings. Habitat loss threatens this species, as Florida’s scrub habitat has declined over 90% in the last century. Remaining populations are small and isolated.
Some key facts about Florida Scrub-Jays:
- Scientific name: Aphelocoma coerulescens
- Length: 11-12 in
- Wingspan: 13-14 in
- Coloration: Pale blue upperparts, pale gray underside, blue head
- Habitat: Florida scrub vegetation
- Diet: Omnivorous – insects, nuts, seeds
- Conservation status: Threatened
The Florida Scrub-Jay is a threatened species mainly found in protected reserves trying to preserve Florida’s dwindling scrub habitat. Their brilliant blue heads light up the sandy scrub forests they call home.
Eurasian Jays
The Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) is found throughout many parts of Europe and Asia. It has light purple-blue upperparts, a white face, black moustache stripe, and bright blue wings and tail. The Eurasian Jay’s blue coloration comes from structural coloration in its feathers.
Eurasian Jays inhabit mixed forests across their broad geographic range. Omnivorous, they eat acorns, nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, eggs and small vertebrates. Eurasian Jays are noisy birds, with a loud, screaming call. They are wary and shy in nature.
Some key facts about Eurasian Jays:
- Scientific name: Garrulus glandarius
- Length: 12-14 in
- Wingspan: 16-18 in
- Coloration: Purple-blue upperparts, white face, black moustache, bright blue wings/tail
- Habitat: Mixed forests
- Diet: Omnivorous – acorns, nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, eggs, vertebrates
- Conservation status: Least Concern
The Eurasian Jay adds a touch of bright blue to mixed forests across Europe and Asia. Look for them seeking nuts and acorns on forest floors or flashing their blue wings in flight.
Similarities Between Blue-Headed Black Birds
While the Blue Jay, Steller’s Jay, Florida Scrub-Jay, and Eurasian Jay are from different corvid genera, they share some similar traits beyond their blue heads:
- Highly intelligent – Corvids have very large relative brain sizes and advanced cognitive abilities. They are considered some of the smartest birds.
- Omnivorous – All four jays have omnivorous diets, eating everything from seeds and nuts to insects and small vertebrates.
- Gregarious – They tend to be social, often living in family or flock groups with complex interactions.
- Vocal – Their loud, screaming calls carry over long distances.
- Shy – Despite being noisy, they tend to be elusive and shy around humans.
- Structural coloration – Their blue hues come from nanostructures in their feathers, not pigments.
These shared traits reflect their close evolutionary relationships as corvid birds. Their intelligence, adaptability and social nature help them thrive across different habitats. Of course, they also share that captivating blue coloring on their heads that makes them stand out in any environment.
Differences Between Blue-Headed Black Birds
While blue-headed black birds in the jay family share many attributes, there are differences between the species:
Species | Range | Habitat | Size |
---|---|---|---|
Blue Jay | Eastern/central North America | Woodlands, suburbs, parks | 9-12 in long |
Steller’s Jay | Western North America | Coniferous mountain forests | 12-13 in long |
Florida Scrub-Jay | Florida | Scrub oak vegetation | 11-12 in long |
Eurasian Jay | Europe and Asia | Mixed forests | 12-14 in long |
While overlapping in size, each species occupies a different geographic range and specialized habitat. Blue Jays thrive alongside humans in diverse open habitats. Steller’s Jays retreat to mountain pine forests. Florida Scrub-Jays are now found only in scattered remnants of scrubby Florida flatwoods. Eurasian Jays range widely across two continents in mixed forest habitats.
Plumage patterns also differ, with Blue Jays having the most vivid blue upperparts, Steller’s Jays having a more muted blue and gray underside, and Florida Scrub-Jays being paler overall. The Eurasian Jay stands out with its purple-blue back, white face, and bright blue wings.
These differences highlight how even closely related species adapt to their own unique ecological niches. The blue-headed black birds carve out diverse livings across an array of habitats.
Ecology and Behavior
Blue-headed black birds in the corvid family exhibit very interesting ecology and behavior patterns. Here are some highlights:
- Habitat loss threats: Both Blue Jays and Eurasian Jays are thriving, but habitat loss endangers the Florida Scrub-Jay and stresses some Steller’s Jay populations.
- Adaptability: Blue Jays excel at exploiting new habitats like suburbs and parks. Steller’s Jays gather food from human sites but nest in wild lands.
- Caching food: All jays cache excess food to recover later. Blue Jays have been observed storing over 100 acorns in a day.
- Mobbing predators: Jays mob predators like hawks and cats by diving at them while screeching loudly. Their commotion can recruit other birds to drive predators away.
- Mimicry: Blue Jays excel at mimicry and make calls resembling hawks, cats, other jays, and many species of birds.
- Long-term pairs: Jays tend to form lifelong monogamous pairs and stay in family groups.
- Cooperative breeding: Florida Scrub-Jay offspring stay with the parents to help rear subsequent generations.
This range of behaviors demonstrates the intelligence and adaptability that helps most of these jay species thrive. Protecting habitats and fostering natural food sources will aid the more vulnerable species.
Conclusion
While several kinds of black birds sport brilliant blue heads, four species stand out – the Blue Jay, Steller’s Jay, Florida Scrub-Jay, and Eurasian Jay. They belong to the clever, noisy, social corvid family. Though they overlap in traits like intelligence, omnivorous diets, and structural coloration, key differences also emerge in range, habitat preferences, and conservation status. Blue Jays flourish around human settlements, while Florida Scrub-Jays now only cling to fragments of threatened scrub vegetation. Steller’s Jays retreat to mountain pine forests out west. Eurasian Jays range widely across Europe and Asia’s mixed forests. Their shared blue plumage provides camaraderie across continents. With care taken to protect habitats, these charismatic species of blue-headed black birds will continue flashing their colorful plumage through forests and backyards for decades to come.