When blue met green: Jaybirds create a one-of-a-kind hybrid

In what sounds like the setup to a nature-themed joke, a blue jay and a green jay have done the improbable, mated in the wild, creating what researchers call a one-of-a-kind hybrid that may never have existed without climate change, CNN reported.

A strange feathered visitor has taken flight in suburban Texas, leaving scientists fascinated and a little baffled. The mysterious bird, sporting the vivid colours of both a blue jay and a green jay, was spotted by an eagle-eyed local and later confirmed by researchers to be a never-before-seen hybrid of the two species.

Scientists believe this curious coupling was no accident of chance but the result of overlapping territories driven by climate change and human expansion. Once separated by over 200 kilometres, the blue jay (a staple across eastern North America) and the tropical green jay (mostly found in Mexico and Central America) now find themselves neighbours, and apparently, more than just that.

“This is the first time we’ve observed a vertebrate hybrid like this in the wild due to climate-driven range shifts,” said Brian Stokes, lead author of the study. Genetic testing confirmed the bird’s parents as a male blue jay and a female green jay.

The oddball bird behaves like a mix of both parents too, mimicking calls from each species and displaying a strange blend of blue feathers, green markings, and quirky corvid intelligence.

Whether it’s a one-time wonder or the beginning of a new trend in hybrid birds, researchers say it’s a striking example of how climate change can create unexpected — and sometimes marvellously weird — outcomes in nature.