Blue jays measure on average close to 1 foot long from beak to tail with a wingspan a little more than 1 foot wide. And boy, do they make their presence known.

Blue jays (recognizable by their blue, black, and white feathers. Unlike most blue birds, which exhibit sexual dichromatism, male and female blue jays share the same bright colors.

Steller’s jays (this name will be changed when honorifics are dropped by the American Ornithological Society) are similar in size to our blue jay and just as raucous, but are overall blue in color, ...

'That's a bird that's been known to be a sign of bad luck as long as I can remember. When I was a boy the old folks told me the jay once sold himself to the devil for a grain of corn.

Blue jays are sometimes considered to be the bully of the feeding station. But the smaller birds certainly depend on them to signal a warning of hawks that are a bigger threat.