The magnificent Blue Jay

The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is an iconic bird from the corvid family, just like crows and ravens. Known for its remarkable intelligence, it is considered one of the smartest birds in the world. It can be seen year-round in southern Quebec and is also the provincial bird of Prince Edward Island.

Found in deciduous and mixed forests, it also frequents parks and bird feeders. Its diet is omnivorous: seeds, nuts, acorns, fruits, as well as insects, frogs, fish, mice, and occasionally eggs or nestlings left alone in their nests.

Blue Jays are mostly vegetarian, eggs and nestlings make up only about 1% of their diet.

Blue Jays are famous for storing food, especially acorns, which they can hide by the thousands (between 3,000 and 5,000) each autumn. This makes them excellent oak seed dispersers. Their intelligence allows them to find most of their hidden caches during winter. They even select acorns free from insect infestation.

During migration, Blue Jays can form large flocks of up to 250 birds. Young jays migrate more often than adults, but migration patterns remain a mystery, some jays migrate one year but not the next.

Blue Jays can mimic hawk calls to scare away other birds and claim food sources. They also communicate with their crest: when raised, it signals aggression. Despite their agility, their relatively slow flight makes them vulnerable to predators like hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, red-tailed hawks, and owls.

In captivity, Blue Jays have been observed using tools, such as pieces of paper, to reach food, though this has not been documented in the wild. Males are slightly larger than females, and pairs stay together for life. They molt in summer, gaining fresh plumage between June and September, and often decorate their nests with white objects such as birch bark or pale leaves.

How to Attract Blue Jays

At bird feeders, this colorful visitor is especially fond of peanuts, corn, and sunflower seeds.

To attract them, you can hang a peanut wreath in the shell. It’s a spectacular sight, the Blue Jay will grab several peanuts at once, filling its gular pouch and beak before flying off to hide them.

Another excellent option is the Squirrel Buster Peanut Plus feeder, filled with shelled peanuts. This clever design automatically closes access to the food when a squirrel’s weight is detected, preventing theft. In addition to Blue Jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches will also enjoy this feeder.

Blue Jays are also attracted to suet, a valuable energy source year-round.

In general, birds coexist well with Blue Jays. However, if their behavior seems too aggressive toward other species, it’s best to position feeders meant for Blue Jays away from other feeders to maintain harmony among your feathered visitors.