Talk:Blue jay

Dubious part of AA Folklore

Hey folks, the section "In some tales, the blue jay was credited with making the earth "when all de worl' was water" by bringing the first "grit" or "dirt." " in the "In popular culture" section is entirely unsupported by the citations, and the direct quotation of AAVE feels inappropriate in this context as well. Unfortunately I can't make an edit, can someone double check me and do so, please?

Thanks! Antifascist floppa (talk) 02:39, 12 February 2025 (UTC)

It's present in the first source at least, including quoted phrasing; see text at Internet Archive: --Elmidae (talk · contribs) 08:06, 12 February 2025 (UTC)

Edit request: Incorrect statement about blue jay populations

I want to remove the statement that “From 1966 to 2015, the Blue Jay experienced a population decline along the Atlantic coast, but a greater than 1.5% annual population increase throughout the northern part of its range, including Labrador, Nova Scotia, southern Quebec, and southern Manitoba” which does not appear to be correct or backed up by its ref. I think it should be replaced by this ref— https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/lifehistory —which states that “their populations have declined by an estimated 0.6% per year for a cumulative decline of about 27% between 1966 and 2019”.

This article doesn’t seem to address the fact that blue jay populations are declining, that the species is declining, and that’s very concerning. I mean, if this trend continues, the species will be extinct in about one century, and this article doesn’t address that at all. 2600:100A:B1C6:824E:A46D:750:EE9F:D238 (talk) 07:20, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

Please use the {{edit request}} template. - UtherSRG (talk) 13:00, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 21 May 2025

Change

"While not confirmed to have engaged in tool use in the wild, blue jays in captivity have been observed using strips of newspaper as tools to obtain food, while captive fledglings have been observed attempting to open the doors of their cages."

to

"Blue Jays are confirmed to have engaged in tool use both in captivity and in the wild. Blue Jays in captivity have been observed using strips of newspaper as tools to obtain food, while captive fledglings have been observed attempting to open the doors of their cages. More recently a wild Blue Jay was observed using a piece of bark to aid in catching a spider."

Smitheroons (talk) 04:08, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

References

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Please format your request to include the inline citations, not with the "[35]" placeholders. Please include your reference as an inline citation. - UtherSRG (talk) 11:26, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

 Done UtherSRG (talk) 15:45, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 8 March 2026

Under the "Behavior" section, the current page reads:

"It may occasionally impersonate the calls of raptors, especially those of the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, possibly to test whether a hawk is in the vicinity, though also possibly to scare off other birds that may compete for food sources.[27]" The cited source does not include any supporting information. Change to below reference which does support the claim:

Change

[27] Blue Jay. birds.cornell.edu

To:

James, Ross D. (1988). "Blue Jays Mimic the Calls of Red-shouldered and Broad-winged Hawks". Ontario Birds. April 1988: 11–14. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1088&context=ontario_birds

Chris4727 (talk) 06:06, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

 Done UtherSRG (talk) 22:21, 8 March 2026 (UTC)