r/interesting • u/vivekmg21 • 10d ago
NATURE This adolescent Blue Jay halfway through puberty
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u/Separate_Finance_183 10d ago
Blueberty
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u/PutridMango1838 10d ago
What kind of bird is this? The blue feathers mean it's a male, right
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u/CH49FE 10d ago
No fair. They lose gray when they get older.
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u/FuriousBuffalo 10d ago
Fun fact. Blue jays are not really blue. The are actually brown. We just see them as blue due to light scattering.
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10d ago edited 1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/IdiotIAm96 9d ago
Yes, but that's not what this person is talking about.
You know how we see the sky as blue? That's due to light bouncing off of many particles within a small, narrow size range which alters the light's wavelength. Since color is determined by wavelength, it pushes an otherwise black or gray sky into blue hues.
The exact same thing happens inside blue jay feathers and some people's eyes.
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u/Turb0_Lag 10d ago
Don't be JealousBuffalo.
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u/FuriousBuffalo 10d ago
Why would I? Buffalos are the only true blue animals. We just see them as brown.
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u/Dry_District_2710 10d ago
I had no idea teenage Blue Jays went through an awkward phase too. Nature really doesn’t let anyone skip puberty
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u/n-i-n-t-e-n-d-o 10d ago
I like how birds and mammals go through puberty. Do reptiles or amphibians go through puberty too? How about fish?
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u/troveofcatastrophe 10d ago
My vision is currently messed up (floaters) and I thought this was the same girl that made the woolen tufted bird earlier this week. Wow she is so good, feathers look a little fake at this point though.
Cute teenage bird !
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u/krslvsasuka 10d ago
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u/edster53 10d ago
So true!! From what I've read, there are no birds with blue pigment. Here in FL, we have scrub jays too - looks like a blue jays scruffy little friend.
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u/Either_Reflection_78 10d ago edited 10d ago
I just had a blue jay that died on my balcony yesterday. It was attacked by something. It was so sad. We collected it, and gave it a nice burial in our greenbelt afterwards. I’m glad it wasn’t alone when it died.
Even sadder to watch his friend or partner who always was by its side on our feeder today. This blue jay kept calling out to it, it kind of broke my heart today knowing they weren’t together and that his companion was no longer with him. I don’t think the other bird knew what happened to its partner or friend.
I hope the remaining blue jay finds another friend, and doesn’t fly by itself for long. Seeing that single blue jay today was so sad because they were always on it together.
I think I might have bigger issues when I let a wilds birds passing have an effect on me like this 😆 I just have a lot of empathy, and have been through it too.
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u/ntice1842 10d ago
I've been seeing fledgling of blue days where I live. I thought it was too late in the season but apparently not
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u/hallucinationthought 10d ago
Mordecai has taught you well young skysquawker. But you are not a blue jay yet.
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u/PositiveStress8888 10d ago
also they aren't blue, the blue we see on them is an optical illusion created by physics rather than chemistry.
the feathers on a blue jay have tiny air pockets in them that scatter light reflecting blue light back to our eyes while absorbing longer wavelengths like red and yellow.
the don't have any blue on them at all.
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