Why Blue Jays?
Using data collected by citizen scientists through the Lab s Birds and Calcium Project, André Dhondt and Wesley Hochachka found that Blue Jays consumed more than twice as much calcium as other bird species. Furthermore, as will be reported in The Condor this fall, they found that Blue Jays, unlike other birds, continued to consume calcium throughout the summer and into fall. Research has shown that songbirds need calcium during the breeding season for egg laying and nestling growth but don t store calcium in their bodies for use in egg formation. Dhondt and Hochachka suggested that Blue Jays might cache calcium in the fall for later use. However, Dhondt has since raised the possibility that Blue Jays have a unique and as yet unexplained need for calcium. Why the Northeast? Could paint chipping be a foraging skill passed down from one generation of Blue Jays to the next? Or could the behavior be related to the lack of calcium in northeastern soils? Compared to other regions, northeaster
