| Taxa: |
| Order: |
| Family: |
| Aves |
| Passeriformes |
| Corvidae |
| NatureServe Global Rank: |
| NatureServe State (NC) Rank: |
| G5 |
| S5B,S5N |
| Federal Status: |
| NC State Status: |
| --- |
| --- |
| Land Unit |
| US Fish & Wildlife Service |
| US Forest Service |
| US National Park Service |
| US Department of Defense |
| NC State Parks |
| NC University System |
| NC Wildlife Res. Com. |
| NC Forest Service |
| NC Div. of Coastal Mgmt. |
| Local Governments |
| Non-Governmental Org. |
| Other Public Lands |
| Private Lands |
| GAP Status 1-2 |
| All Protected Lands |
| Statewide |
| Hectares |
| 95,767.29 |
| 443,382.12 |
| 61,460.19 |
| 111,598.11 |
| 38,056.32 |
| 22,353.39 |
| 91,435.68 |
| 10,601.25 |
| 7,169.40 |
| 9,522.72 |
| 28,411.38 |
| 1,971.27 |
| 5,260,896.63 |
| 397,685.58 |
| 919,260.51 |
| 6,182,625.75 |
| Acres |
| 236,646.08 |
| 1,095,620.87 |
| 151,871.41 |
| 275,764.88 |
| 94,039.20 |
| 55,236.42 |
| 225,942.44 |
| 29,288.73 |
| 17,715.97 |
| 23,531.15 |
| 70,206.04 |
| 4,871.11 |
| 12,999,956.15 |
| 985,794.75 |
| 2,274,634.22 |
| 15,280,690.44 |
| % of Dist. on |
| Prot. Lands |
| 10.4 % |
| 48.2 % |
| 6.6 % |
| 12.1 % |
| 4.1 % |
| 2.4 % |
| 9.9 % |
| 1.2 % |
| 0.8 % |
| 3.0 % |
| 3.0 % |
| 0.1 % |
| < 0.1 % |
| 43.3 % |
| ----- |
| ----- |
| % of Dist. on |
| All Lands |
| 1.5 % |
| 7.2 % |
| 1.0 % |
| 1.8 % |
| 0.6 % |
| 0.4 % |
| 1.5 % |
| 0.2 % |
| 0.1 % |
| 0.2 % |
| 0.5 % |
| < 0.1 % |
| 85.1 % |
| 6.4 % |
| ----- |
| ----- |
|
Found throughout the state (Potter et al 1980). Breeds according to Hamel (1992) in a 'wide variety of woodlands and forests; most common in open, mature woods.' Particularly favors mixed woodlands containing oaks or beeches (Goodwin 1976, Hamel 1992, Kaufman 1996). Avoids pure coniferous stands (Kaufman 1996). Also an inhabitant of parks, gardens, residential areas, groves, and some cities (Goodwin 1976, Ehrlich et al 1988, Hamel 1992, Harrison 1975, Kaufman 1996). Nest is in a coniferous or deciduous tree, shrub, or vine, 5 to 50 feet above the ground (Ehrlich et al 1988, Harrison 1975). Normally it is well hidden in a crotch or outer branch (Harrison 1975). Usually constructed of twigs, bark, mosses, string, leaves, pine needles, etc. and lined with fine rootlets (Goodwin 1976, Ehrlich et al 1988, Harrison 1975, Potter et al 1980). Blue Jays forage both on the ground and in trees or shrubs (Kaufman 1996). NATURE SERVE GLOBAL HABITAT COMMENTS: Primarily deciduous or mixed forest, open woodland, parks, residential areas with trees; less frequently in open situations with scattered trees. Nests commonly in crotch or on branch of tree, bush or vine, often 3-8 m above ground; both sexes build nest; sometimes reuses nest. |
| Code | Name | Description | NC Natural Heritage Program Equivalent |
| 75 | Tidal Swamp Forest | Swamp tupelo dominated forest with or without black tupelo and/or cypress trees. Restricted to the tidal zones in the coastal plain. May have inclusions of coastal red cedar woodlands. | Tidal cypress - gum swamp |
| 17 | Maritime Forests and Hammocks | Maritime forests and woodlands dominated by live or sand laurel oak. Estuarine Fringe forests dominated by loblolly pine. | Coastal Fringe Evergreen Forest, Maritime Deciduous Forest, Maritime Deciduous Forest |
| 50 | Coastal Plain Mixed Bottomland Forests | Includes forests dominated by a variety of hardwood species, including sweetgum, cottonwood, red maple. | Coastal Plain Bottomland Hardwood (in part), Coastal Plain Levee Forest |
| 49 | Coastal Plain Oak Bottomland Forest | Bottomland forests dominated by deciduous oak alliances. Oaks represented can include swamp chestnut, cherrybark, willow, and/or overcup oak. Inclusions of loblolly pine temporarily flooded forests occur in patches. Hydrology is temporarily to seasonally flooded. | Coastal Plain Bottomland Hardwoods (in part) blackwater subtype, brownwater subtype |
| 158 | Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Flat Forests | Loblolly pine - Atlantic white-cedar - red maple - swamp tupelo saturated forests as well as forests dominated by loblolly, sweetgum, and red maple in non-riverine flats. | Non-riverine Wet Hardwood Forest |
| 15 | Seepage and Streamhead Swamps | Includes extensive peat flats in the coastal plain, dominated by swamp tupelo, maples, and Atlantic white cedar alliances. In the sandhills includes streamhead pond pine and bay forests alliances. Saturated hydrology. | Bay Forest, Small Depression Pocosin, Streamhead Atlantic White Cedar Forest, Streamhead Pocosins |
| 30 | Cypress-Gum Floodplain Forests | Swamps dominated by black or swamp tupelo with or without Taxodium. Seasonally to semi-permanently flooded hydrology. | Cypress-Gum Swamps |
| 78 | Pond-Cypress - Gum Swamps, Savannas and Lakeshores | Cypress dominated swamps and lakeshores. Can include bays dominated by pond cypress or shorelines of coastal plain lakes with a narrow band of cypress. | Non-riverine Swamp Forest, Natural Lakeshores (in part) |
| 385 | Oak Bottomland Forest and Swamp Forest | The swamp chestnut oak, cherrybark oak, shumard oak and sweetgum alliance is one representative. Other alliances are dominated by water, willow, and overcup oaks. Swamp forests can be dominated by sweetgum, red maple, and black gum being dominant. Loblolly can occur in combination with sweetgum and red maple, or with tulip poplar. Includes saturated and semi- to permanently flooded forests in the mountains. | Piedmont/Mountain Bottomland Forest, Piedmont/Mountain Swamp Forest |
| 63 | Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forests | Beech dominated forests with white oak and northern red oak as possible co-dominants. Dry-mesic to mesic forests on slopes and small stream bottoms in the coastal plain. | Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest, Basic Mesic Forests |
| 138 | Coastal Plain Dry to Dry-Mesic Oak Forests | Oak dominated forests of the coastal plain. Includes white oak forests with water oak or northern red oak and hickories as co-dominants. | Dry Mesic Oak Hickory Forest, Basic Oak Hickory Forest, Dry Oak Hickory Forest |
| 87 | Pocosin Woodlands and Shrublands | Includes pond pine woodland, low pocosin and high pocosin shrub dominated areas. Canebrakes and bay forests may be present. | Pond Pine Woodlands, Peatland Canebrake, Small Depression Pocosin |
| 46 | Xeric Oak - Pine Forests | Mixed forest dominated by yellow pines with white or northern red oaks co-dominating. | Pine Oak Heath |
| 232 | Xeric Pine-Hardwood Woodlands and Forests | Mixed forest dominated by yellow pines with drier oaks including southern red, post, and chestnut oaks. | Dry Oak Hickory Forest |
| 230 | Piedmont Mesic Forest | American Beech - Red Oak - White Oak Forests. | Mesic Mixed Hardwood |
| 384 | Piedmont/Mountain Mixed Bottomland Hardwood Forests | Includes temporarily to seasonally forests dominated by hardwood species. Hardwoods include sweetgum, red maple, sycamore which co-occur in a mosaic of bottomland and levee positions. Includes alluvial hardwood forests in the mountains. Hemlock and white pine may occur as inclusions, but are generally mapped separately. | Piedmont/Mountain Alluvial Forest, Piedmont/Mountain Levee Forest |
| 383 | Piedmont Mixed Successional Forest | Generally loblolly mixed with successional hardwoods. Sweetgum, tulip poplar and red maple are common co-dominants in these successional forests. | No equivalent |
| 228 | Piedmont Dry-Mesic Oak and Hardwood Forests | Primarily oak dominated forests, white oak is often dominant, with co-dominants including . Also represented by sweetgum and tulip poplar dominated forests. | Dry Mesic Oak Hickory Forest, Basic Oak Hickory Forest, Dry Oak Hickory Forest |
| 382 | Dry Mesic Oak Pine Forests | Mixed forests of the coastal plain and piedmont. Includes loblolly pine with white, southern red and/or post oak and loblolly with water oak. On basic sites of the piedmont, eastern red cedar may co-occur with post, black, and blackjack oaks. | Dry Mesic Oak Hickory Forest, Xeric Hard Pan Forest, Chestnut Oak Forest, Dry Mesic Oak Hickory Forest, Dry Oak Hickory Forest |
| 226 | Piedmont Xeric Woodlands | Generally post and blackjack oak dominated woodlands. White ash and pignut hickory can be found in combination with Eastern red cedar on glades. | Xeric Hardpan Forest |
| 51 | Deciduous Cultivated Plantation | Planted deciduous trees. Includes sweetgum and sycamore plantations. | No equivalent |
| 202 | Residential Urban | Includes vegetation interspersed in residential areas. Includes lawns, mixed species woodlots, and horticultural shrubs. Vegetation accounts for between 20 - 70% of the cover. | No equivalent |
| 203 | Urban Low-Intensity Developed | Highly developed areas with vegetation accounting for < 20% of the cover. | No equivalent |
| 204 | Urban High-Intensity Developed and Transportation Corridors | Highly developed areas including infrastructure such as roads, railroads. Vegetation represents < 20% of the cover. | No equivalent |
| 517 | Hemlock Floodplain Forest | Alluvial forest with hemlock and/or white pine in mountains and western piedmont. Hydrology is generally temporarily to seasonally flooded. | Canada Hemlock Forest |
| 522 | Northern Hardwoods | High Elevation forests including yellow birch, American beech, and yellow buckeye. Includes forests with Hemlock and Yellow Birch. | Northern Hardwoods Forest, Boulderfield Forest |
| 525 | Appalachian Oak Forest | A variety of oak forest types including Black, White, Scarlet Oaks in dry to mesic situations. Includes forests historically co-dominated by American Chestnut. | High Elevation Red Oak Forest, Montane White Oak Forest |
| 526 | Appalachian Cove Forest | Mixed Mesophytic forests of the mountains. Includes tuliptree, basswood, yellow buckeye and surgar maple. This class is mapped to include cove forests dominated or co-dominated by hemlock. | Rich Cove Forest, Acidic Cove Forest |
| 527 | Appalachian Hemlock | Upland hemlock forests of the moutains region. Vary from side slopes to steep slope positions. | Canada Hemlock Forest |
| 529 | Appalachian Xeric Mixed Forest | Mixed forests with Virginia, Shortleaf, Eastern White Pine, Table Mountain and Pitch pines in combination with xeric oak species. Oaks include, white, Southern Red, black, and rock chestnut. | Pine Oak Heath |
| 530 | Appalachian Xeric Deciduous Forest | Deciduous forests in the mountains dominated by Xeric Oak species. Species include, white, Southern red, black, and rock chestnut. | High Elevation Red Oak Forest, Montane White Oak Forest |
| 533 | Appalachian Swamp Forest | Evergreen and deciduous forests with saturated hydrologies. This class may contain a variety of trees species, including hemlock - red maple, pitch pine, and white pine forests. | Swamp Forest-Bog Complex, Southern Appalachian Bog, Southern Appalachian Fen |
|
Hamel, P. B. 1992. The land manager's guide to the birds of the south. The Nature Conservancy, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 367 pp + several appendices.
Kaufman K. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Carpenter, T. W., A. L. Carpenter, and S. R. Smith. 1990. Spring migration of blue jays at Whitefish Point, Michigan, as studied through banding. J. Field Ornithol. 61:419-425. Harrison, H.H. 1975. A field guide to bird's nests in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 257 p. Harrison, C. 1978. A field guide to the nests, eggs and nestlings of North American birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio. Harrison, H.H. 1979. A field guide to western birds' nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 279 pp. Potter, E. F., J. F. Parnell, and R. P. Teulings. 1980. Birds of the Carolinas. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. 408 pp. Terres, J.K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU), Committee on Classification and Nomenclature. 1983. Check-list of North American Birds. Sixth Edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. Goodwin, D. 1986. Crows of the world. Second edition. Univ. Washington Press. 300 pp. Graber, J. W., R. R. Graber, and E. L. Kirk. 1987. Illinois birds:Corvidae. Illinois Nat. Hist. Surv. Biol. Notes No. 126. Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birder's handbook:a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Shuster, Inc., New York. xxx + 785 pp. Droege, S., and J.R. Sauer. 1990. North American Breeding Bird Survey, annual summary, 1989. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report 90(8). 22 pp. Goodwin, L.M. 1976. Environmental Assessment of Proposed Service Area Project. |
For more information please contact them at:
NC-GAP Analysis Project
Dept. of Zoology, NCSU
Campus Box 7617
Raleigh, NC 27695-7617
(919) 513-2853
www.basic.ncsu.edu/ncgap