Blue Jay Quick Facts
Scientific name: Cyanocitta cristata
Size: 10-12 inches
Habitat: Deciduous and mixed forests
Lifespan: 6 years in the wild; 20 in captivity
Range: Southern Canada to Florida and northeastern Texas; East coast to eastern Colorado
Blue jays are a common songbird in the eastern half of the United States and are often identified by their noisy calls and brilliant blue feathers with a crested head. They are intelligent, beautiful, and important to our ecosystems.
If you love to watch the blue jays in your area and would like to attract more birds to your yard, it is wise to learn a bit more about them. For instance, what do blue jays eat and where do blue jays nest? When you know more about the life of blue jays, you’ll know what attracts blue jays.
In order to attract any wild animal to your property, you need to mimic conditions closely associated to the animals lifestyle. In the case of the blue jays, you will need to provide food, water, shelter and a safe place to nest.
This three-in-one bird feeder accommodates small seeds and millet, peanuts, corn, and sunflower seeds for blue jays and all other backyard birds.
Attracting Blue Jays To Your Yard
As mentioned, birds require food, water, shelter and a safe nesting place to be attracted to your property. Once these basics are covered, you can create a backyard bird sanctuary with a few other things that will improve your odds of attracting the birds
Birds like to bathe so a birdbath is a plus. Sure you can put out food for the birds, but providing native plant species as food sources is even better, and can be a source of shelter and nesting material as well. Incorporating just those two things provided blue jays with food, water, shelter and nesting areas.
What Do Blue Jays Eat?
So what is in a blue jay’s diet? Blue jays are omnivores that eat a wide array of foods. In the wild, they scavenge for insects and small vertebrates but they also eat berries, seeds and nuts. They will even nibble on other birds' eggs and carrion.
To feed the birds naturally, plant native trees, perennials and grasses in your landscape. Don’t cut back the seed heads of spent perennials or grasses in the fall but leave them up until spring for the birds to eat.
If you would rather supplement their natural food choices with bird food, opt for black oil sunflower seeds, a favorite of many birds, cracked corn, millet and whole peanuts in the shell; blue jays adore peanuts. You can even grow your own birdseed plants. The jays would also appreciate some suet hanging in the trees. Of course both the suet and the peanuts attract the squirrels, but they’re fun to watch too.
Providing Water
There are a few ways to provide water for your feathered friends. The aforementioned bird bath does double duty as a bath and source of drinking water. You do need to keep an eye on the bird bath and not only clean it but refill it. Keep the birdbath out of direct sunlight as well to keep the water cool.
What about the winter though? How do you keep the water from freezing? Use an electric bird bath heater!
You can also use a water feature, sprinkler, fountain, or even a plant saucer, shallow basin or upended trash can lid for water. Again, be sure to scrub the water container every week or so and fill it with fresh water. Use a weak bleach solution in a ratio of 1:9 to sanitize the water container.
Lastly, if possible, use rainwater or spring water to quench your bird's thirst. Tap water contains a lot of minerals that birds may not be used to.
Providing Shelter
As for providing shelter, there are a couple of things you can do. First of all, you can incorporate native shrubs and native trees that support wildlife into your landscape. The blue jays are already familiar with the local flora and likely already use it for shelter, food and nesting.
Secondly, you can provide the jays with birdhouses. Blue jays like open nesting platforms or birdhouses that imitate natural tree cavities. A simple DIY birdhouse for blue jays needs a floor area of 8”x 8” (20 x 20 cm) with the same distance from floor to ceiling. The house should have a sloping ceiling with partially open sides and an opening with a 1 1/2 inch (4 cm) entry hole.
Once you've made or purchased a blue jay home, where should you put it? Jays usually nest about 25 feet (8 m) up in the crotch of a tree, so up you go. Attach the birdhouse up high to the side of a garage, a shed, porch or atop a pole in the shade so the birds don’t roast.
Potential Issues
Blue jays are territorial so don’t put up more than one birdhouse unless you have a larger property. Jays don’t start looking for nesting sites until February or March and oddly, they prefer weathered houses rather than new ones, so don’t be surprised if no one is at home in your blue jay bird nest right away.
Blue jays can be obnoxious, but they’re also fun to watch. If you can bear their alarm calls, jeering and the fact that they will likely scare off other birds, welcome them with open arms!
If you do get a nesting pair of blue jays, be aware that they are highly sociable birds and often mate for life. Both parents feed the young and maintain the nest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a blue jay's favorite food?
If you are feeding blue jays in your yard, you will win the hearts of the birds with peanuts in the shell. In the wild, blue jays are omnivores and somewhat opportunistic and will eat everything from insects to berries to other birds eggs, and even carrion.
Why don't blue jays come to my feeder?
There are many reasons why blue jays might not be coming to your feeder. It could be that a larger bird, like a hawk, might be around. The feeder may be empty or the food has gotten wet and molded. Or maybe they just don't care for your offering. It is possible they may have a variety of easy pickings nearby, so they simply aren’t in need of supplemental food. If you are offended and really want the blue jays to pay a visit, set out some peanuts in the shell. Blue jays can’t resist peanuts.
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