Now that we are officially in fall no mater what calendar you use, the bird breeding season is over, too. But as I pointed out in an earlier post, that leaves the woods full of fledglings at various stages of development. This little blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is one of the youngest fledglings that I’m currently seeing. As you can see, as of last week he still had hardly any open feathers on his head or neck. Feathers grow in a keratin tube that breaks apart as the feathers grow and as the bird preens allowing the feathers to open up. These immature feathers have a blood vessel at their base that allows them to get nutrients for growth, so they are called blood feathers or pin feathers (because they look like pins sticking out of the bird).

Just a week later, though, this little guy is looking much more like his parents. There are still pin feathers on his head and neck, but there are also lots of open, mature feathers, too. He also looks a little fatter and although you can’t tell this in photos, he’s a lot more coordinated. One of the parent birds is still often with him, but not always like they were last week. Yes, little Bluee is growing up at a very rapid pace.