Difference Between Male and Female Blue Jays (With Table)

Blue Jay males are physically larger and longer than females. A group of male blue Jays follows a group of female blue Jays when courtship is in progress. Male blue Jays do much of the hunting and searching for food for their female counterparts, which sets them apart from female blue Jays. Male blue Jays bristle their feathers during mating to attract the attention of a female blue Jay.

Male and female Blue Jays are similar in size and appearance, but females are comparatively smaller. Female blue Jays lead the way for male blue Jays during courtship. Female blue Jays are distinguishable from male blue Jays because they incubate the eggs in the nest. Female blue Jays dare to choose their spouses. Therefore a female blue Jay can bobble their heads and rustle the males’ feathers to choose her mate.

Comparison Table Between Male and Female Blue Jays

What are Male Blue Jays?

Male blue Jays appear to be physically larger and longer than female blue Jays. Male blue Jays are roughly thirty centimetres (11.8 inches) in length. A group of male blue Jays follows a group of blue Jay’s females at the period of courtship. Male blue Jays mostly hunt and forage for food for their female counterparts, which distinguishes them from female blue Jays.

Male blue Jays bristle their feathers to attract the attention of a female blue Jay during mating season. What distinguishes male blue jays from females is their social and mating behaviour. In February, the beginning of the courting season occurs. A group of three to ten blue male or female jays can be seen at any time.

The female tends to influence the male’s actions. If the female jay takes to the air, the males keep on pursuing her until she lands. The male jays usually bob their heads down and up. They also fluff their feathers to attract the female as soon as the group lands.

What are Female Blue Jays?

Female blue Jays are smaller and have a shorter look than male blue Jays. Female blue Jays are approximately 25-28 cm in length. A group of female blue Jays leads the way for male blue Jays during courtship. Female blue Jays can be distinguished from male blue Jays because they incubate the eggs in the nest.

Female blue Jays are bold enough to choose their spouses. Therefore a female blue Jay can wander among the guys, bobbling their heads and rustling the males’ feathers to find her mate. Blue jays females are smaller than blue jays males but have similar morphological characteristics.

During their mating and courtship ritual, however, small changes can be seen. During courtship, a flock of male blue jays can be observed leading the female. She can be spotted strolling around, sifting through a bunch of men that are spotted bobbing the heads and rustle the feathers in search of a partner.

Main Differences Between Male and Female Blue Jays

1. Male blue Jays are physically longer and larger in appearance than female blue Jays. On the other hand, female blue Jays are comparatively smaller and shorter in appearance than male blue Jays.
2. The length of the male blue Jays measures somewhat around thirty centimetres or 11.8 inches. On the other hand, the length of the female blue Jays measures around 25-28 centimetres.
3. At the time of the occurrence of courtship, a bunch of blue Jay’s males follows a bunch of female blue Jays. On the other hand, at the time of courtship, a bunch of female blue Jays lead the way for blue Jay’s males.
4. The main work of male blue Jays, which differentiate them from female Blue Jays is that they hunt and search for food for their female counterpart. On the other hand, female blue Jays can be differentiated from male blue Jays as in the nest, they incubate the eggs.
5. At the time of mating, the male blue Jays try to win the attention of a female blue Jay. Hence the male jays are seen bristling their feathers. On the other hand, female blue Jays dare to choose their partners. Hence a female blue Jay can walk through the males to choose her mate by bobbing their heads and rustling the feathers of the males.

Conclusion

Blue jays are noisy, aggressive, intelligent, and are also playful. These birds can imitate predator calls or emit a call of warning to warn other birds of danger in their territory. The blue coloured plumage on these birds’ tails and wings is well-known. While female and male blue jays are very identical, they can be distinguished in their natural habitat.

Male and female blue jays are almost similar in characteristics. However, they differ from each other in terms of courtship, nesting and size. While a male blue jay is normally larger than a female blue jay, their physical characteristics are nearly equal.

When closely studied during their courting and mating rituals, however, a male can be recognised as a female. A group of male blue jays follows a female blue jay as part of their courtship ritual. The female then watches while the males flutter their feathers in an attempt to attract her attention.

References

1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4511941
2. https://academic.oup.com/condor/article-abstract/99/2/434/5126770