What Do Blue Jays Eat And What To Feed Them

Blue Jays are omnivores and do not have any dietary restrictions. However, they depend mostly on nuts and seeds for survival.

1. Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are your answer if you are wondering how to attract blue jays in your yard. These nuts are a favorite food of blue jays. They are highly nutritious and rich in fats, essential for their winter diet when they must produce heat to keep warm. 

Besides fats, hazelnuts also contain carbohydrates and proteins vital for tissue growth. They provide good nutrition for the birds when all other food is scarce during winter. So, putting out hazelnuts in your backyard during the colder months is perfect for attracting blue jays. 

2. Acorns

Another food that is very rich in nutrients that blue jays cannot get enough of is acorns. Blue Jays are known for their love of acorns, especially when taken naturally from an oak forest near your dwelling. These nuts are a major part of their diet in the fall, which they often store to eat later. 

The birds can carry off 100 acorns in a day during harvest, and a single jay may hide 3,000 – 5,000 nuts in one season. To break these open, jays hold them against a perch with one foot and hammer on them with their beaks.

3. Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are another food the jays can easily crack open and not get enough of. You will be surprised at the speed with which the bird can swallow these seeds. In one sitting, they might gobble at least 100 seeds. 

However, despite providing a good balance of fats and proteins, which the birds require, and their love for them, blue jays will not eat sunflower seeds. They are picky eaters and will only eat the undamaged and viable seeds. If you want to put these seeds in your blue jay bird feeder, go for black ones. 

4. Pine nuts

With a robust bill, blue jays can make quick work of pine nuts. They often forage for them in pine trees. These nuts are also packed with healthy fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals, which give them the energy to control their body temperatures in the cold months.

If you serve pine nuts in a bird feeder for jays, the best choice is unsalted and unseasoned ones since salt and seasoning are harmful to the jays’ health. Also, check that the nuts are not stale. Otherwise, they may get sick. To serve, just scatter the nuts in your bird feeder or mix them with other bird-friendly seeds. 

5. Peanuts

Many birds, including blue jays, love unshelled peanuts. For this reason, birders often offer these types of peanuts in open feeders. Once the birds locate the nuts with their peanut radar, they go back and forth, taking as many peanuts in their beaks before flying off to hide them. They only stop when the feeder is empty. They don’t like to share. 

These birds usually hide the peanuts by burying them under the soil and leaf litter in their favorite places. And they are pretty good at remembering those sites. So, these blue birds will surely appear when you put out peanuts. 

Blue Jays occasionally treat themselves to fruits in late summer and early fall. 

6. Berries

No one can resist tart blueberries, juicy raspberries, and candy-like strawberries. Not even the blue jays. These sweet treats offer a delightful change of pace and are particularly significant when they’re readily available, although they are not a mainstay of their diet. 

Birders looking for jay attractants other than nuts might be excited about this. But if you are growing berries in your garden, you might need to add a row cover or bird netting to protect them. Or you could entice them with plenty of their favorite food in the feeder.

7. Grapes

Blue jays readily consume grapes both in the wild and in captivity. They will consume both seeded and seedless red and white grape varieties. These fruits provide water as well as vitamins and health-benefiting antioxidants. 

In the wild, they may pick grapes directly from vines as they ripen. However, they prefer to forage for the fruit once it has become over-ripe and fallen to the ground. But just because they eat them does not mean they love them. They are indifferent towards grapes. 

20% of a blue jay’s diet consists of insects and other animal foods. Let’s look at some examples.

8. Caterpillars

Blue Jays are opportunistic feeders who will eat caterpillars even though that’s not the main food. They will eat these insects when feeding their offspring, or there’s not much else around. Caterpillars are a source of protein that baby birds need to grow strong feathers that support flight and effective insulation. 

Thus, caterpillars are an important part of their diet, particularly in summer when insects thrive. They will search for the insects in trees, shrubs, and on the ground, and since caterpillars are easy to find, they are often a part of their spring and summer diet.

9. Cicadas

If you are wondering what do blue jays like in terms of arthropods and insects? It’s cicadas. Blue jays have a particular fondness for the striking black-bodied insects. These birds go after the insects in the spring once in 13 or 17 years when they emerge from the underground to transform into adults and mate. 

During the cicada season, blue jays will take advantage of their abundance by nesting to feed and raise their young. The increased availability of protein sources results in increased numbers of heartier and healthier baby jays surviving to adulthood.

10. Frogs

You probably were not expecting to see frogs on a list discussing food for blue jays but frogs are a common food source for birds in the wild. The jays have excellent vision and can spot the amphibians in your garden from a mile away. 

Once they spot their target, they will swoop in and grasp the prey with their strong, sharp beaks that will puncture them. They will then fly to a safe location like a tree top to eat, where they can eat in peace or store the prey in a cache to eat later.

11. Mice

Blue jays also eat mice if the opportunity arises, but these mammals make up a tiny portion of their overall diet. They will scavenge a dead mouse and will also kill a live one if they can. They will focus on killing small field mice that they can overpower.

These birds may act as rodent predators in regions where other avian or predator competition may lack the finesse to hunt small mammals. This can be advantageous to them when other sources of food are scarce, which allows for survival in harsher environments.

12. Eggs

Blue jays are often known as devil birds or called evil because they are known to take and eat eggs and nestlings of other birds. While that is true, studies have shown that this behavior is ultrarare, and only 1% of the jays showed evidence of this behavior. 

These birds do not prey on smaller birds or their eggs per se. They do not seek out and kill other birds, but abandoned eggs in other bird nests are what blue jays eat when they cannot find anything else. Apart from food scarcity, they might also eat the eggs to reduce competition for resources in their territory.

13. Corn

Many recreational bird watchers use cracked corn to attract blue jays to their yards or gardens because it is affordable and easy to scatter in feeders or on the ground. If you want to attract these birds in your yard, you can place cracked corn in platform-style bird feeders, which they prefer. 

They may also eat it from hopper or tube bird feeders if their beaks can access the corn through the openings. If you don’t have these feeders, scatter the cracked on the ground. The birds will happily pick it up since they are ground foragers. 

14. Oats

There are plenty of plants that will attract birds, like blue jays, to your yard. But since the jays do not feed on nectar, they might be more enticed with grains like oats as long as they are uncooked. If the oats are cooked, the grains will set and stick and set around birds' beaks.

Additionally, these cooked grains are not on their priority list because they will fill up their stomachs but provide little nutrition in return. You can add oats to your feeders, but remember to include other nuts and seeds for variety.

Blue jays will feed on human food left out in inaccessible areas.

15. Crumbs and Bread

Blue jays living in suburban or urban environments that are accustomed to human activities have digestive systems adapted to handle various foods and are more likely to eat human scraps like crumbs and bread. These birds are fed by humans, and they tend to associate humans with food.

As a result, they will scavenge for leftovers left out in open or accessible areas, such as patios, decks, or picnic areas. The birds will see this as an easy meal. Unfortunately, these foods are not nutritionally ideal for these birds and may lead to malnutrition or other health issues.

16. Fruit Scraps

Since Blue Jays eat fruits, they feed on leftover fruit scraps, such as apple cores or banana peels. These scraps are often left in places that are easy to access, and they can be less likely to encounter competition, making the scraps a more attractive option.

However, they might go for leftover seeds and nuts when available and disregard the fruit scraps. 

When it comes to attracting blue jays in your yard, there are many other things other than the food stated above that can help you make your outdoor space a paradise for these birds.

Sturdy, Right-Sized Bird Feeders

If you want to attract blue jays, it is crucial to fix a bird feeder that is secure enough for them to stand on because they are bigger than most other birds. Additionally, these birds are larger than most house and tube feeders usually meant for smaller birds. 

They prefer platform feeders, which can be hung, placed on the ground, or fixed to a pole. The sturdier the feeder, the greater the chances of blue jays visiting your yard, especially if you offer them their best foods.

Water

Blue jays appreciate a year-round supply of fresh, clean drinking water and are more likely to visit your yard if you have a birdbath. The birdbath should be shallow, with about 3 inches of water, as the jays prefer ones that are not too deep. 

During winter, you can use a heated birdbath to prevent the water from freezing. You can add a bubbler or dripper to entice these migratory birds even more. Lastly, remember to keep your birdbath clean and the water in it.

Shelter and Nesting Options

Blue jays are commonly found residing in both deciduous and coniferous trees. Having these trees around your home or in your landscape makes it easier to attract them. You can also plant trees or tall bushes in your yard to ensure that these birds keep coming back.

Additionally, planting nut-bearing trees or berry-bearing bushes offers more than shelter for these songbirds. The trees and bushes can be a source of food. Holly, sumac, viburnum bushes, and oak and hazelnut trees are heaven for blue jays.

Creating nest-friendly environments for the blue jays will also tempt them into settling in your property. Besides nesting shelves, you can scatter grass cuttings and little branches around your feeders and bird baths to encourage the birds to build a nest so that you can watch them from nearby. 

Plant Blue Flowers

Planting blue flowers in your garden is another way to invite the blue jays to your space. These birds are attracted to shades of blue, so a blue yard might work. Consider planting bellflowers if you want a low-maintenance plant that blooms every year. They are low-growing and form a neat shape, making them ideal for placing in front of your flower patch. 

Another ideal choice is the bluebells that infuse a little playfulness into your yard. Blue-eyed grass, blue flax, and hydrangea are other examples of perennials. If you are searching for annuals, look no further than Laguna Sky Blue, a low cascading plant with blue flowers that loves to bloom all year round.

Ancient Lineage

Blue Jays belong to the Corvidae family, whose fossil records can place their origin back to about 25 million years ago.

This family also includes birds like crows, ravens, and magpies, among others. These birds are intelligent and can perform complex social actions with a very flexible way of living.

Life Span

Wild blue jays usually only survive for around seven years, while some species can reach ten to fifteen years within managed settings.

However, in captivity with lower predation risks, they may live as long as 17 years. Interestingly, there is a record of a blue jay spotted on the Newfoundland coast in 2016 who was 27 years old. 

Difficult to distinguish males and females

One interesting fact about Blue Jays is that males and females are almost indistinguishable. Due to monomorphism, both genders have the same beautiful blue color, a black collar around the neck, and white underparts.

This may be why both genders are monogamous. They are involved in rearing young ones and share responsibilities for territorial defense. 

Excellent at Mimicry

One of the most amusing features of blue jays is their ability to mimic the calls of different species of birds, like hawks, owls, and crows. This mimicry can occur in various ways.

For instance, they mimic to scare off predators or confuse other birds. They may also mimic the calls of other birds to communicate within their species about predators and food supplies and to stay in touch with their mates. 

Communicate with Their Crest

Apart from mimicry, blue jays express themselves with their crest. For example, a blue jay will flatten its crest against the head when calm or at ease. It raises its crest and appears larger and more threatening when anxious, frightened, or excited. The higher the crest, the more aggressive the bird is

Crest signal is essential in ensuring continued contact with other flock members. It also helps them threaten anyone they consider an enemy, warning them to keep their distance.