Blue Jay Bird Facts (Cyanocitta cristata)

The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a talkative, colorful bird commonly seen at North American feeders. The species name aptly translates as crested blue chattering bird. Fast Facts: Blue Jay Scientific Name: Cyanocitta cristataCommon Names: Blue jay, jaybirdBasic Animal Group: BirdSize: 9-12 inchesWeight: 2.5-3.5 ouncesLifespan: 7 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Central and eastern North AmericaPopulation: StableConservation Status: Least Concern Description Male and female blue jays have similar coloration. The blue jay has black eyes and legs and a black bill. The bird has a white face with blue crest, back, wings, and tail. A U-shaped collar of black feathers runs around the neck to the sides of the head. Wing and tail feathers are barred with black, light blue, and white. As with peacocks, blue jay feathers are actually brown, but appear blue because of light interference from the feather structure. If the feather is crushed, the blue color disappears. Blue jay feathers are brown but appear blue due to light interference. epantha, Getty Images Adult males are slightly larger than females. On average, a blue jay is a medium-size bird measuring 9 to 12 inches in length and weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 ounces. Habitat and Distribution Blue jays live from southern Canada south into Florida and northern Texas. They are found from the East Coast west to the Rocky Mountains. In the western portion of their range, blue jays sometimes hybridize with Stellers jay. Blue jays prefer a forested habitat, but they are highly adaptable. In deforested regions, they continue to thrive in residential areas. Diet Blue jays are omnivorous birds. While they will eat small invertebrates, pet food, meat, and sometimes other bird nestlings and eggs, they usually use their strong bills to crack acorns and other nuts. They also eat seeds, berries, and grains. About 75% of a jays diet consists of vegetable matter. Sometimes blue jays cache their food. Behavior Like crows and other corvids, blue jays are highly intelligent. Captive blue jays can use tools to get food and work latch mechanisms to open their cages. Jays raise and lower their crest feathers as a form of nonverbal communication. They vocalize using a wide range of calls and can mimic the calls of hawks and other birds. Blue jays may mimic hawks to warn of the predators presence or to trick other species, driving them away from food or the nest. Some blue jays migrate, but how they decide when or whether to move south for the winter is not yet understood. Reproduction and Offspring Blue jays are monogamous birds that build nests and rear young together. The birds typically mate between mid-April and July and produce one clutch of eggs per year. Jays build a cup-shaped nest of twigs, feathers, plant matter, and sometimes mud. Near human habitation, they may incorporate cloth, string, and paper. The female lays between 3 and 6 gray- or brown-speckled eggs. The eggs may be buff, pale green, or blue. Both parents may incubate the eggs, but mainly the female broods the eggs while the male brings her food. The eggs hatch after about 16 to 18 days. Both parents feed the young until they fledge, which occurs between 17 and 21 days after hatching. Captive blue jays may live over 26 years. In the wild, they usually live around 7 years. Blue jay eggs are speckled with brown or gray. David Tran, Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN categorizes the blue jays conservation status as least concern. While deforestation in eastern North America temporarily decreased the species population, blue jays have adapted to urban habitats. Their population has remained stable over the past 40 years. Sources BirdLife International 2016. Cyanocitta cristata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22705611A94027257. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22705611A94027257.enGeorge, Philip Brandt. In: Baughman, Mel M. (ed.) Reference Atlas to the Birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., p. 279, 2003. ISBN 978-0-7922-3373-2.Jones, Thony B. and Alan C. Kamil. Tool-Making and Tool-Using in the Northern Blue Jay. Science. 180 (4090): 1076–1078, 1973. doi:10.1126/science.180.4090.1076Madge, Steve and Hilary Burn. Crows and jays: a guide to the crows, jays and magpies of the world. London: AC Black, 1994. ISBN 978-0-7136-3999-5.Tarvin, K.A. and G.E. Woolfenden. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). In: Poole, A. Gill, F. (eds.): The Birds of North America. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA American Ornithologists Union, Washington, DC, 1999.

Beauty Is The Quality Of Beauty - 985 Words

Greek Philosopher, Plato, once said: â€Å"Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.† Everyone has different points of view about what beauty is. Some people may perceive beauty as how someone looks on the outside. Others may see beauty as being confident in your own skin. According to dictionary.com, beauty is the quality in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure to the mind. For me, beauty comes in act of kindness, in nature, and smiling faces. Beauty comes in act of kindness. When I was in tenth grade, I got the opportunity to volunteer at a homeless shelter. So, my Saturday mornings became occupied. My job there was to hand out personal hygiene items after the homeless people have finished their meal that was cooked by†¦show more content†¦As I get in the water, I feel the power of the wave pulling me towards it pushing me further and faster away from the sand into the deep water. I got the opportunity to see a dolphin jump out of the water. I took hours look ing at the horizon. As I stayed there look out into the horizon, the sun has almost set just the tip is left to disappear into the water. The sky changed from blue to yellow and orange to pink and purpl. I got to see the sky go from day to night. As I start walking back I took one last glimpse of the sky I could see the bright and high moon. I could see the horizon with moonlight reflection in the water. It is certainly easy to understand why nature is appealing. Beauty is in nature, but it can also be in smiling faces. When I was in high school, I volunteered to make and hand out food to those who were less fortunate. We first stopped at a shelter where people were sitting either watching television, reading the newspaper, or just sitting and talking to a friend. We walked in and put a box of sandwiches on a table, and started to hand them out. The people were very grateful and said thank you with huge smiles on their faces. 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Harvard Management Co and Inflation Protected Bonds free essay sample

The Harvard Management Company is an entity wholly owned by Harvard University and it is responsible for managing Harvard’s endowment and pension assets. At the end of the second quarter of 2000, Harvard Management Co. oversaw the management of $19 billion, the majority of it managed internally by Harvard’s investment professionals. The endowment’s goal is to provide a real return of 6%-7%, of which 4%-5% would be distributed annually to the university and the balance of returns would remain to allow for a real growth rate of spending. As of the second quarter of 2000, Harvard was actively considering creating an allocation to Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) in its Policy Portfolio. Harvard believed the portfolio weights should be changed due to changes in capital market assumptions and the rise of TIPS as an institutional-level investment. TIPS Versus Nominal Treasury Bonds Like many institutional portfolios, Harvard’s portfolio contained an 11% target allocation to domestic bonds. We will write a custom essay sample on Harvard Management Co and Inflation Protected Bonds or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Including US Treasury securities as substantial portion of this allocation would allow Harvard to earn a market return on a fixed income instrument without having to worry the credit risk. However, investing in Treasuries carries significant risks such as interest rate risk and inflation risk. Traditional Treasury securities consist of a par value of a bond and a state coupon rate, which is paid semiannually. The payments are fixed throughout the life of the bond, but the real value of the principal at maturity can be significantly different that the beginning of the investment due to inflation, or a loss in the purchasing power of money. Traditional Treasuries do not adjust their principal and interest payments due to changes in the inflation rate. TIPS are different in that their principal value adjusts to increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is a measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services. Changes in the CPI are used to assess price changes associated with the cost of living, and it is an indicator of the level of inflation. The coupon payments naturally adjust to inflation since the coupon payment is always based on the inflation adjusted principal of TIPS. Harvard views TIPS as a favorable investment because they would provide an inflation adjusted return, which is a central focus of Harvard’s investment strategy. TIPS will outperform regular Treasuries in an environment where inflation is greater than expected. Expected inflation is measured by the nominal Treasury yield of a given maturity minus the TIPS yield of the same maturity. If real inflation is greater than this expected inflation, then TIPS would end up a higher return than the corresponding nominal Treasury bond. Harvard seeks to add value to its portfolio by protecting part of its fixed income exposure against inflation risk. Comparing Interest Rate Risk and Inflation Risk of TIPS and Nominal Treasuries A rise in real interest rates would drive the price of TIPS down. A rise in real interest rates would imply a rise in nominal rates holding inflation constant or a fall in inflation holding nominal rates constant. A rise in real rates would drive the price of TIPS down just as a rise in rates drives the price of nominal Treasuries down; the present value of the bond’s cash flows would be driven down by higher interest rates. A fall in inflation or outright deflation would lower the expected value of cash flows from a TIPS investment, resulting in lower prices. Additionally, increases in realized inflation will not affect the market value of TIPS, all else equal. This is because markets are forward looking and would have already priced in the increase in the principle value of TIPS. Increases in expected inflation will increase the value of TIPS as investors bid up prices in anticipation of higher realized inflation in the future. In contrast, nominal Treasuries will fall in value as inflation expectations increase. Nominal Treasuries fall in value because investors demand higher yields so that they can earn a return above inflation. As the market perceives inflation risk to be higher, investors will seek the safety of inflation protected securities (TIPS) thus driving their prices higher. Nominal Treasury bond prices fall due to increases in actual inflation, expected inflation, and heightened inflation risk. . The chart below shows the average annual inflation over several decades. As you can see, inflation over the long term has been approximately 3. 24%.