Fledging

May 06, 2025

When I let the kids out into the side yard yesterday afternoon for a constitutional Loki immediately ran to the fence.  That was not a real surprise as he usually runs to the fence to see if the next-door dogs were outside.  This time he instead started scrambling after something he found on the ground.  Although I did not know what he had found, I was certain it was not something he needed to have in his mouth.  I shooed him away and saw a fledgling bird lying on the ground.  The frightened bird started scittering around as I tried to trap it in my hands.  I finally grabbed the small bird.  The bird was obviously frightened and distressed, but other than being wet from being in Loki’s mouth it appeared to be unharmed.  I placed the bird on the top of the 6-foot (1.8 m) fence to keep it out of harms way and to give it a chance to gain some air before it hit the ground again trying to fly away.  This was a fledgling blue jay that must have fallen from its nest trying to learn to fly.

When I went online, I found the blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), or the jaybird, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae that is native to eastern North America.  The blue jay lives in most of the eastern and central states of the US.  Some US populations are migratory.  Resident populations are also found in Newfoundland, Canada, while breeding populations are found across southern Canada.  The blue jay measures 9 to 12 inches (22 to 30 cm) from bill to tail and weighs 2.5 to 3.5 ounces (70 to 100 g), with a wingspan of 13 to 17 inches (34 to 43 cm).  The color is predominantly blue, with a white chest and underparts, a blue crest, and a black, U-shaped collar around its neck and a black border behind the crest.  Males and females are similar in size and plumage.  The blue jay feeds mainly on seeds and nuts, soft fruits, arthropods, and an occasional small vertebrate.  It typically gleans food from trees, shrubs, and the ground, and will “hawk” insects from the air.  Blue jays can be very aggressive to other birds and have been seen to raid nests and have even to kill other birds.  The nest is an open cup in the branches of a tree built by both sexes.  The clutch has from two to seven eggs, which are blueish or light brown with darker brown spots.  Young are underdeveloped at birth (altricial) and are brooded by the female for 8 to 12 days after hatching.  The fledgling will leave the nest between 17 to 21 days old

Blue jays are monogamous during nesting and do not typically abandon their young.  Even after the fledgling leaves the nest the parents will care for and feed them for at least a month, and sometimes for up to two months.  If a young jay wanders far from the nest, parents may still feed it if it can be restored to or near the nest.  The rare cases where the young are abandoned are due to some disturbance or other unforeseen circumstances.  If you find a young blue jay, it is best to leave it alone unless it is in immediate danger.  It is likely the parents are likely to be nearby and will continue to care for the fledgling bird. 

THOUGHTS: The fledgling blue jay I found appeared to be in imminent danger when I put it on the fence.  Fledgling is a dangerous time of life, with an average mortality rate of 42% over a week or two, with most mortality just after they leave the nest.  Humans are born altricial and take even longer to learn to be self-sufficient, typically around 30 years to become fully self-sufficient.  This lengthy process is due to factors like the large human brain taking time to develop, premature birth, and the need to learn complex skills from caregivers.  Self-sufficiency is a gradual progression and not an event and involves developing practical skills and emotional independence.  Being labeled an adult at 18 has little to do with being self-sufficient.  Care networks need to be extended rather than cut off when a child comes of age or decides to become a fledgling.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.