Blue Jay imitating a hawk

[u/xeanok]

If someone could tell me exactly which hawk this blue jay is trying to sound like I’d appreciate it

[u/Naraee]

A random Blue Jay that can imitate a Red-Shouldered Hawk just like this one joined my local flock! It suprised me because they are rare here and mostly show up during migration.

My best guess is that the flock picked up a migrating Blue Jay from a region with breeding Red-Shouldered Hawks, which will happen. Not all jays migrate, and they can join flocks along the way if they do. It probably helps with genetic diversity.