blue jay

noun \ -ˌjā \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Definition of blue jay

: a crested bright blue North American jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

See blue jay defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of blue jay from the Web

Seems like lots of cardinals and blue jays this year.

— frank abderholden, Lake County News-Sun, "On-deck observations from the backyard," 3 June 2018
This spring, baby birds (starting with starlings and sparrows and then songbirds such as robins, blue jays, cardinals and mockingbirds) will hatch.

— kitson jazynka, chicagotribune.com, "As spring arrives, what to do if you find a baby bird," 25 Apr. 2018
Unlike most Easter egg hunts, a mad rush for a lawn filled with plastic eggs, visitors at Northwest Park searched for replicas of robin or blue jay eggs or the many species that nest in forests around Connecticut.

— dennis hohenberger, Courant Community, "Northwest Park Welcomes Spring With Adventure," 12 Apr. 2018
Female sharp shins are larger than their male counterparts, but neither is truly large; a male sharp shin is only slightly larger than an average blue jay.

— dave taft, New York Times, "Little Terror of the Flyway," 19 Oct. 2017
Most examples in nature — the clear autumn sky, the blue jay’s vibrant feathers, butterfly wing spots — originate in light refraction.

— dave taft, New York Times, "The True Blue Asiatic Dayflower," 20 Sep. 2017
In our yard in western Alabama were dozens of doves, hundreds of finches, an abundance of blue jays.

— Southern Living, "Love Song," 15 Mar. 2012
Today a blue jay hopped along the shore near where a beaver had built a lodge of alder limbs.

— reid forgrave, New York Times, "In Northern Minnesota, Two Economies Square Off: Mining vs. Wilderness," 12 Oct. 2017
When Ms Devine checked out the place for the first time, the tree held a blue jay and its nest.

— joanne kaufman, New York Times, "In Kelly Devine’s Apartment, Even the Furniture Has to Audition," 1 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blue jay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.