The Blue Jay

Blue Jay I believe the Blue Jay to have some of the oddest set of tones and behaviors as any common backyard bird! Many of you guys will look for ways to run him off, especially if his behavior becomes aggressive. Alas, I encourage you to NOT do this.

This bird is what I call an "alarm bird." Not only will he let other birds know when there are cats and other predators about, he'll perform arial dive-bombs in an attempt to drive them off (especially during nesting season).


Did you know that this bird will sometimes mimic the sound of a hawk. It is believed that this is done to let other jays know that there is a hawk in the vicinity.
True, the Blue Jay will take the occasional egg, but he'll do that whether he's in your yard, or your neighbors--it's natural. Cats however, are not.

Besides, studies have revealed eggs and chicks to exist in the belly of a blue jay in only one percent the birds studied. They mainly eat nuts and seed!

And the good news continues--you can have your cake and eat too. It's easy to divert this bird from your main feeder station and feed him at the same time; just offer peanuts-in-the-shell in a jay feeder. If you do so, the bird will likely ignore everything else.

One thing to keep in mind though--you may need to ration your offerings a bit. All birds have voracious appetites--this bird is no different; he'll devour whatever amount you put out.

Start by filling the feeder. If the birds power through the nuts too quickly, don't fill it to capacity next round. Test, test, test!

Blue Jay Facts

Range

In the Summer, the bird is resident from southern Canada through eastern United States to Gulf Coast, and westward to central Texas. In the winter, due the birds partial migratory tendencies, some move out of the northern portion of their range, while other remain in all parts of the range.

Food

Seeds, fruits, nuts, acorns, small vertebrates.

Foraging

Takes insects at all levels--ground, shrubs and trees. Harvests and hides nuts such as acorns. Uses feet to secure nut while pecking open the shell.

Nest

Made of twigs and grass and is located in crotch of out tree branches. Can be as low as five feet or as high as 50 feet.Most commonly located 10 - 25 feet.

Clutch

2-7 bluish or light brown eggs, 17-18 day incubation period. Chicks fledge in 17-21 days.

Why Is He Bald

Blue jays molt (meaning they shed and grow new feathers). However, blue jays do it so fast that often they end up completely loosing their tuft.

So if you ever see a bald blue jay, don't worry about it. He'll have feathers again in no time!



I hope you found this article about the Blue Jay useful. Click here for more great information about wild birds, bird feeders and bird houses.

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