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Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Chick Type: Altricial Brown Jays are a tropical species of corvids that are found from south central Texas to southern tip Central America along the Gulf Coast. There are two variations of Brown Jays, the northern and southern race. They vary in plumage. They inhabit woodlands with dense undergrowth to open fields. Brown Jays live in family groups that consist of the breeding pair and their off springs from the previous year. Members of the flock help each other by serving as sentinels, defending the territory, chasing away predators and finding food. The non-breeding flock member in return gets protection, allowed to stay on their natal territories and gain more experience before setting off to find their own territories. Juvenile Brown Jays have yellow colored bills, as they mature that bill starts to turn black. Each juvenile's bill pattern between black & yellow is unique enough to ID individual birds by it. The change could take up to three years. Landscape modifications by humans have provided Brown Jays with more suitable habitat. The species seem to do well in the presence of humans. Brown Jays can be seen regularly at two sites in Starr County, TX: Salineno Tract and El Rio RV Park. But since 2008 the feeders at Salineno Tract have been left unattended since Pat & Gale Dewind stopped making their migration from Michigan to Texas every winter. Their site is probably the best place in Texas to do lawn chair birding. |
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