What Does “A Cast of Jays” Mean?

“Cast” is a theatrical word, and there’s real irony in it landing on jays, birds famous for their loud, attention-grabbing calls and bold, showy blue plumage. Blue jays in particular are known for a wide vocal repertoire, including surprisingly accurate mimicry of hawk calls, which they use to startle other birds away from food sources, a bit of theater in its own right.

Jays are also highly intelligent corvids, capable of caching thousands of acorns each fall and remembering the locations months later, a memory feat that plays an outsized role in oak forest regeneration since many cached acorns are never retrieved. Whether “cast” was chosen for their vocal showmanship, their striking appearance, or simply the playful wordplay common across collective nouns, it’s stuck as one of the more memorable terms on this list.

Example: “A cast of jays scolded loudly from the treetops the moment the cat stepped into the yard.”

Related: Collective Nouns for Birds · What Is a Group of Jays Called?