Stats

Lifespan: 7-17 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Pair
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Speed
Status: Common

About

A bold, crested songbird of eastern North American woodlands, instantly recognised by its azure plumage barred with black and white. Despite its blue appearance, the colour comes not from pigment but from the microscopic structure of the feathers scattering light.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small clutch of speckled eggs is incubated in a cup nest, turned and kept warm by the parent.
2.
hatchling
A pink, blind hatchling is fed by its parents in the nest, gaping its bill at every visit.
3.
juvenile
A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest, learning to fly and to forage close to its parents.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage and song.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Cyanocitta
Species: Cyanocitta cristata