Blue Jay Imitating Song of Brown Thrasher
Journal
Condor
Volume
14
Issue
5 (September-October)
Year
1912
Pages
199
Section
From Field and Study
Online Text
Blue Jay Imitating Song of Brown Thrasher
On July 4, a hot, sultry day, while seated near an open window, a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) was seen to alight on a bush within twenty feet, and was observed to sing softly a song distinctly resembling that of the Brown Thrasher. Dr. Craig Thorns and I both saw its throat moving as it sang and have not the slightest doubt as to the source of the notes. It was softer and lacked the "ring" but was almost as pretty a song as the Brown Thrasher’s own.
Dr. Thorns relates that some ten years ago on a similar hot afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, he saw and heard a Blue Jay sing just outside of an open window. That time, though, the song was brief and didn't distinctly suggest that of any other common species.
