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Blue Jay Facts – What Do Blue Jays Eat – Where Do Blue Jays Live

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This article demonstrates blue jay facts that are rarely known elsewhere. Blue jay is a small bird that belongs to the family of Cyanocitta cristata and is a resident of North America. These birds are also found in the southeastern Canada and Central United States. They breed in the deciduous forests. Except few, most of the species migrate from western part to the southeastern Canada.

Blue Jay Facts

These types of birds are primarily of blue color together with white underside feathers.

The clutch size comprises of 2 – 7 eggs.

Blue jays eggs are bluish white together with few brown markings.

Females and males are similar in their outlook. Sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish between the two.

The female usually hatches (keeping warm) eggs and the period lasts from 8 – 10 days.

The length of the blue jay measures around 22 – 30 cm (9 – 12 in).

These birds weigh around 70 – 100 grams (2.5 – 3.5 oz).

The blue jay wingspan is 34 – 43 cm (13 – 17 in).

The legs along with the eyes are black.

These birds have very strong bills that can crack even nuts, seeds, grains, and acorns.

These birds usually migrate in winter season.

The migration always takes place in daytime.

They migrate in the flocks of 10 – 250 birds.

These types of birds fly at a speed of 30 – 40 km/h (20 – 25 mph).

They sound an alarming voice when the predator arrives. Mostly, owls and eagles hunt them.

Blue jays are occasionally known to attack other birds that are smaller in size.

These species are considered to be intelligent and extraordinarily curious birds.

The length of the eggs measures about 2.5 – 3.3 cm (1 – 1.3 inches).

The blue jays eggs are 1.8 – 2.2 cm (0.7 – 0.9 inches) wide.

These beautiful birds produce several sounds that may vary from one species to another.

They are also known to copy human sounds.

The Blue Jay is the provincial bird of Prince Edward Island.

blue jay facts - Blue Jay Bird
Blue Jay

Where do Blue Jays Live?

  1. These birds are generally found in the South Florida, Central America, and Northeastern Texas.
  2. These species like to live in the open woodlands along with oaks and beeches.
  3. They usually avoid dense forests for their habitats.
  4. They are sociable birds and shows magnanimous attitudes toward humans. Blue jays are extensively found in the residential gardens and parks. However, they do not allow humans to come closer to their nests.

What do Blue Jays Eat?

  1. These birds primarily feed on soft fruits, small vertebrates, acorns, and arthropods.
  2. They also feed on grasshoppers, caterpillars, and beetles.
  3. They predominantly feed on plants, trees, weeds, fruits, berries, peanuts, small invertebrates, cache food, eggs, bread, and meat.

Blue Jay Reproduction Facts

  1. The mating season lasts from March to April.
  2. They build their nests on lush green trees that are at least 3 – 10 m high above the ground.
  3. The nests are built from materials like strips, small roots, twigs, plant material moss, paper and feathers.
  4. These birds are not very choosy in selecting trees for their habitats. They do sometimes compromise over the habitat.
  5. Males and females put their efforts together to build their nests.
  6. The females lay 4 – 5 eggs in a breeding season.
  7. The incubation (keeping warm) period lasts from 16 – 18 days.
  8. The chicks fledge out after 19 – 21 days.
blue jay facts - Blue Jay Bird
blue jay

Blue Jays Subspecies

Even though variety of subspecies has been found but the naturalists have confirmed only four of them that are:

  1. Cyanocitta cristata bromia – Northern Blue Jay Bird
  2. Cyanocitta cristata cristata – Coastal Blue Jay Bird
  3. Cyanocitta cristata cyanotephra – Interior Blue Jay Bird
  4. Cyanocitta cristata semplei – Florida Blue Jay Bird

Blue Jay Bird Facts Videos

9 Comments

  1. My blue jays eat everything in sight and leave nothing for the squirrels (peanuts and sunflower seeds are what I put out) . What can I put out that the blue jays DO NOT LIKE so the squirrels get to eat too?

  2. After 46 years of backyard feeding birds and accumulating squirrels, raccoons and possums (at night) mallard ducks year ’round (Indianapolis), I have had to force some kind of separation between all of them. Our squirrels kinda drive off the birds, so I have to put suet, which my wife makes in a Cuisinart, out on a shepherd’s crook pole which they can’t climb for the woodpeckers, downy wp’s., etc. BJ’s will eat kernel corn but compete with the squirrels, so I have a feeder in a separate garden with peanuts and kernel corn. Our squirrels are hilarious, but I want our birds to have equal opportunities. We’re old enough to be Disney People and try to maintain equal opps for everybody. I feed oil sunflower in one feeder and a blend of oil sunflower, and other seeds in the other. Plus ear corn in the middle. Lesson learned – NEVER feed peanuts in the shell unless you want to constantly rake your lawn. BJ’s love them, but the lawn will be a mess. Our yard if approx. 50′ X 50′, with trees in a woods behind, I think our environment lends itself to favoring the squirrels, but I try to keep everybody happy. Every now and then, I try to have meetings with everybody to get suggestions, but they just run or fly away. Kinda like a few of the companies I worked for for over the years. Nobody agrees on anything.

    • Awwww how awesome. I SEE 2 Blue Jays everyday. They are so awesome to watch.
      I have also seen a Baby Cran
      I LIVE IN WESTVIRGINIA

  3. Thanks. We found a baby blue jays in our yard. He’s doing great and my boys are trying to get emotionally ready to release him this weekend. He is very social and I hope he’s prepared for life away from his adopted family.

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