blue jay

American  

noun

• blue jays
  plural

1. a common, crested jay, Cyanocitta cristata, of eastern North America, having a bright blue back and a gray breast.

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blue jay British  

noun

1. a common North American jay, Cyanocitta cristata , having bright blue plumage with greyish-white underparts

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• blue jays
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of blue jay

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blue jay

The UC study found that male spiders become motionless and "freeze" when a blue jay calls nearby.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024

Another loudmouth, the blue jay, has a particular taste for acorns, which inspired one of Strassmann’s slow-birder exercises: Go look for acorns beneath an oak in your garden or park.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2022

It was a fledgling, a blue jay we think.

From Washington Post ● May 30, 2022

Jim Tinnell, a wildlife rehabilitator in Ohio, was suspicious when he received his first sick blue jay of the season on May 24.

From New York Times ● Jul. 2, 2021

He mocked every bird in the Ozark hills; from a redheaded woodpecker to a screaming blue jay.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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