This is something you may see on hot days - this Blue Jay is not injured, it is taking a sunbath. It is done for skin care and grooming and helps with parasites. I always love seeing it because it feels like they have to feel perfectly safe when they do it.
I recently saw this with a Stellar's Jay (the same bird pictured here) and it initially had me worried it was sick or injured! Very relieving to learn about this interesting behavior.























