Name: Steve H.
Status: OTHER
Age: 50s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2002
Question:
we live in central lA. during later winter observe blue
jays--usually male--gather whole unshelled pecans--place them in the ground
sharp end down--then bang them into the ground with their beaks--the
pecans are certainly too large to eat whole and too strong to break--
what are they doing this for? thanks
Replies:
What an interesting observation! The jays are storing the nuts for future
food. They can crack pecans relatively easily, probably easier than acorns
which they also store. Usually jays store food in holes in trees or
something similar, rather than in the ground. I wonder if they place them
sharp end down to make it easier to get them in the ground or if their is an
explanation that has less significance for bird intelligence. Jays, along
with their close relatives the crows and ravens, seem to be about the
smartest group of birds, and many tales of their intelligence appear to be
valid. For an interesting fictional take on jay behavior see Mark Twain's
short story, "Jim Baker's Blue Jay Yarn."
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.
