what to feed wild blue jays

Blue jays will consume the following common bird foods:

• Bird seed mixes, particularly large seeds such as sunflower seeds
• Peanuts, hazelnuts and pretty much any other nuts
• Suet
• Leftovers, particularly small meat scraps in winter

Full Answer

What kind of seeds do blue jays eat?

Sunflower seeds are another bird feeder staple that is readily consumed by Blue jays. One thing to note here is that Blue jays are usually too large and heavy to feed from bird feeders and would likely prefer to feed on open bird tables. What do baby blue jays eat?

What do you feed a baby blue jay?

The parents must also take size into consideration, very young nestlings often cannot yet eat large earthworms. If you need to feed a baby blue jay, use either moist dog/cat food or commercially sold baby bird food, fed through an eye dropper.

Do blue jays eat wasps?

Blue jays are fun to watch. These large, blue colored birds are clever and adaptable with a varied diet. In addition to nuts and seeds, blue jays may eat other food sources such as berries, bugs and frogs. They usually don’t eat adult bees or wasps, but sometimes they will break open a wasps’ nest to eat the soft larvae inside.

How do I attract Blue Jays to my feeder?

There are several ground feeders and larger bird feeders on the market. You can also scatter seed on the ground to attract blue jays. Stock the feeder with their favorites.

What do wild Blue Jays eat?

Eats many insects, especially caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and others; also eats spiders, snails, birds' eggs, sometimes small rodents, frogs, baby birds, carrion, other items.

Do Blue Jays eat bird seed?

Blue jays will consume the following common bird foods: Bird seed mixes, particularly large seeds such as sunflower seeds. Peanuts, hazelnuts and pretty much any other nuts. Suet.

What fruit do Blue Jays eat?

Berries. Blue jays love all types of berries including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and elderberries. Therefore, if you want to provide a little treat for your visiting blue jays, you could set up a separate feeder just for berries and fruit.

Can you feed a blue jay from your hand?

If you really want to know how to feed a blue jay by hand, there is one thing you should know first. It is illegal to raise a Blue Jay as a pet in the US unless you are a licensed rehabilitator. So as long as you are hand feeding Blue Jays and keeping them in the wild it's ok.

Do Blue Jays eat the entire sunflower seed?

Blue jays and chickadees hold sunflower seeds in their feet, and hack a hole into the shell with the tip of their beak. When blue jays “swallow” a whole seed, they're actually putting it into their throat pouch to hide for later.

Is it good to have Blue Jays in your yard?

Cyanocitta cristata, or the blue jay, is a crested and large songbird. Blue jays are beneficial to the fauna, and other flora in their ecosystem since their fondness of acorns helps spread oak forests across North America.

Is it OK to feed blue jays bread?

Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “We discourage people from feeding bread to birds, as there are far too many potential risks. If moldy, bread can be dangerous to birds. Bread gets moldy quickly, and mold can pose a number of health problems for birds.

Can you feed blue jays bread?

Eating bread can be deadly for birds. With no calories to metabolize to stay warm or provide energy to evade predators. For a small bird, this can lead to tragedy very quickly.

Can blue jays eat bananas?

This particular treat has suet dough, mealworms, and sunflower seeds all combined into a healthy and tasty treat. Or if you prefer: I also recommend Wild Sciences Suet. Besides the healthy rendered beef fat, they have a couple of formulas containing fruits, nuts, seeds, and peanuts, which blue jays go bananas for.

Do blue jays eat squirrels?

They'll steal feed from squirrels, nuthatches, and woodpeckers, but it is a rather uncommon occurrence. Blue jays are opportunistic. A majority of their diet consists of acorns, nuts, seeds, grains, and fruits.

Do birds Know Who feeds them?

Birds primarily use vision, their sense of sight, to locate food. Birds may see seeds that they recognize as food in your feeder. But to do so, they have to be pretty close.

Do blue jays bring gifts?

As for whether jays make state attributions about individuals other than mates, or about other species, it's hard to say. Jays only give gifts to mates, so the tests haven't been run.

What kind of bird seed attracts Blue Jays?

Suet, mealworms, cracked corn, and sunflower seeds are other great options to attract jays, and natural food sources such as small fruits and berries—elderberries, cherries, wild grapes, blackberries, etc.

What seed do Blue Jays like best?

Blue jays are fond of black oil sunflower seeds, corn, peanuts, and acorns. Make sure your yard has a pot filled with water for the birds to bathe in and satiate their thirst. Other than grain and seed feeders, these birds love to eat from suet feeders.

Do Blue Jays Store seeds in their mouth?

allaboutbirds.com from Cornell Lab: “Blue Jays carry food in their throat and upper esophagus — an area often called a “gular pouch.” They may store two to three acorns in the pouch, another one in their mouth, and one more in the tip of the bill.

Do Blue Jays eat from bird feeders?

Blue Jays are a type of bird that love to eat from feeders. There are many types of food that blue jays enjoy, including acorns, peanuts, corn, meal worms, and black oil sunflower seeds. Blue Jays also like eating from suet feeders.

What do blue jays eat?

In addition to nuts and seeds, blue jays may eat other food sources such as berries, bugs and frogs. They usually don’t eat adult bees or wasps, but sometimes they will break open a wasps’ nest to eat the soft larvae inside.

Do blue jays eat bees?

They usually don’t eat adult bees or wasps, but sometimes they will break open a wasps’ nest to eat the soft larvae inside. Around a small wasps’ nest, blue jays have been observed catching and crushing the adult wasps and dropping them on the ground.

Do Blue Jays Cache Food?

The blue jay has an expandable throat pouch where it can temporarily store peanuts or acorns. These birds also cache seeds and nuts by shoving them into the soil, to retrieve later. Uneaten caches sprout into new oaks, walnuts, pines, and other trees, to keep forests renewed…or to tickle us with an unexpected cluster of sunflower seedlings!

How to attract blue jays to my feeder?

First, figure out your feeder. Blue Jays prefer an open nesting platform such as flat spaces on tree branches or surfaces like window sills. They certainly won’t snub a more traditional feeder, though. Be sure that whatever feeder you get, it is sizable enough to support blue jays. There are several ground feeders and larger bird feeders on the market. You can also scatter seed on the ground to attract blue jays.

How to keep blue jays from overheating?

Avoid the sun. Place the feeder in the shade, if possible. Blue Jays are diurnal, so they feed during the daylight hours. Since they take mass quantities of food at a time so that they can hide it, their visit to the feeder can be rather lengthy. That’s a lot of time in the heat of the sun. Plus, all of the energy consumed to grab that much food can cause them to overheat.

How many acorns can a blue jay eat?

Carrying several nuts at a time in the gular pouch of its esophagus, a single blue jay can cache as many as 5,000 acorns in a 2.5-mile radius. Some of those acorns tucked under grass or leaves eventually become trees. New: Check out my review of the best squirrel-proof bird feeders.

What is a blue jay?

The blue jay is a partially migratory songbird in the Corvid family, along with ravens and crows. It has black and blue plumage, a white face and a thick bill. Those who have spent time or live in central or eastern North America tend to recognize them easily.

Do blue jays like peanuts?

Don’t forget the peanuts! Blue Jays are also crazy for peanuts. Especially those still in the shell. So you may want to invest in a peanut feeder. A peanut feeder’s construction is such that it prevents (or at least deters) squirrels from getting the lion’s share.

Do blue jays mate in the winter?

Both parents share equal responsibility for feeding their young once the eggs have hatched. Into late summer, fall and winter, blue jays may have to search for food in other locations.

Is a blue jay male or female?

Male and female blue jays are nearly identical, except that the male is larger.

What do blue jays eat?

A large part of their diet consists of peanuts, seeds, and acorns. At times, they also feed on suet cakes and other tiny creatures such as caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers.

How much food does a Florida blue jay feeder hold?

But beyond its aesthetics is a functional hanging feeder that can provide food for small bird species as the Florida blue jay. It can hold up to 2.15 lbs of different types of seeds that these blue birds love.

Why do You Need a Blue Jay Bird Feeder?

It is because blue jay feeders are primarily built to attract and accommodate this type of species. They may seem like the ordinary bird feeders but if you wish to get these beautiful birds around and give them a more comfortable space to perch on, a blue jay bird feeder is what you need.

What color is a peanut feeder for blue jays?

Contrary to our first wreath peanut feeder for blue jays, this one comes in a cherry red color. It stands out in the yard and it’s a whole lot of fun when blue jays and other birds stop by for a snack.

What is the best bird feeder for a blue jay?

If you plan to set up a bird feeder on a tree or wall with reinforced stability, a mounted feeder might be considered the best option. If you notice that they often come in pairs or more, a blue jay feeder with a large capacity or size that can accommodate multiple birds might be the ideal pick.

How to pick out a bird feeder?

Picking out the size and capacity of a feeder depends on the amount of food you wish to fill it with. You also have to consider if flocks of blue jays and many other types of birds usually come by. If this is the case, you might need to invest in a larger bird feeder.

How much bird seed can a Yankee Whipper hold?

Compared to the previous feeders on our list, this 17-inch Yankee Whipper tube feeder can hold up to 5 pounds of birdseed, allowing you to accommodate small flocks of birds at once.

What do blue jays eat?

What Blue Jays eat most of the time is nuts, seed mixes, insects, berries and fruits. Now Jays do eat many other things in the wild including animals of sorts - though in the meantime let's concentrate what to offer Blue Jays in a bird feeder.

How to keep blue jays away from bird feeders?

I will say to keep Blue Jays away from bird feeders is to offer them up their own unobstructed bird feeder - in which can keep them well away from feeders reserved for smaller, often less aggressive backyard birds.

How to attract blue jays to a bird feeder?

How to attract Blue Jays to a feeder is with an open to the elements platform bird feeder on a pole, if it hangs or better still, is a ground bird feeder for this ground eating bird. Blue Jays will eat many things in the wild with your options being peanuts in or out of shells, seed mixes and dried or live mealworms.

How will the open to the elements platform attract blue jays?

How this will attract Blue Jays is the open to the elements platform can display all their favorite bird food, in a way that is sure to grab their attention while in the yard - or if any Blue Jays happens to pass over above.

Can you put peanuts in a bird feeder?

Bonus being all regular bird feeder food can be added on top of it, with no other choice if using fruits or mealworms. With the nuts you can offer peanuts in shells in which Jays like at lot, with hard seeds cracked open right on top of the platform.

Can blue jays perch on a platform?

Hanging platform bird feeders with an option for Jays to perch around the rim must be used, whereas a tube seed feeder must provide a long perch or a seed tray surround to allow Blue Jays to perch with ease.

Can you use a bird bath to rehydrate blue jays?

Along with an open to the elements platform bird feeder on a pole, one that hangs or is a ground bird feeders; a bird bath can continue to be used to allow thirty Blue Jays to re-hydrate and preen their feathers in times of drought or if experiencing a heatwave.

How to hand feed a blue jay?

If you want to succeed in hand-feeding a Blue Jay, you should stay consistent. When you show up at the same time each and every day, the birds will get to know you better. If the bird flies away, avoid the temptation to follow it. Let the birds feel safe enough to move away from you. If you do follow or chase the bird, they could interpret that as predatory.

What is Blue Jay's favorite food?

Nuts (unsalted are the best) are a Blue Jay’s favorite. The nuts should be unsalted, but they could be either whole or shelled already.

What Are Blue Jays?

The Blue Jay is a brightly colored bird that is common through the central and eastern areas of the US as well as Southern Canada. The Blue Jay does prefer a wooded area as a natural habitat, but they are found increasingly in residential areas. Baby Blue Jays will typically stay in the nest with the parents until they are two months old. But, they can actually find food for themselves when they are just a few weeks old.

How Do You Get a Blue Jay to Come to You?

Begin by getting the Blue Jay to get comfortable simply being near you. You can start off with a feeder in your garden. When the feeder has gotten low or empty, place some of a blue jay’s favorite food in your palm. Remain very still, and wait patiently. Eventually, a bird may land on your hand. If one does, then you still and keep as quiet as possible.

Why do blue jays raid their nests?

But why do they raid nests? Blue Jays require plenty of meat in their diet. They will scoop a young hatchling not out of spite but to feed an incubating mate. Blue Jays rarely steal a young bird from another nest for their own food. They will do so to feed their young, or, as we mentioned, an incubating mate.

How to get a blue jay to chase you away?

Before you offer the birds your hand, make sure they are free from any fragranced products. Scented products like these can chase birds away. Place some of the Blue Jay’s favorite treats in the palm of your hand.

How to make sure blue jays are welcome?

First up, make sure you are offering them something to suit all their needs. You need to make sure that you provide shelter, food, water, and comfortable nesting sites. If you bring all of these to your backyard, Blue Jays are sure to feel welcome in your backyard.

What do you feed a baby blue jay?

If you need to feed a baby blue jay, use either moist dog/cat food or commercially sold baby bird food, fed through an eye dropper. However in general you should not attempt to do this yourself, and we will talk about why below.

What Do Baby Blue Jays Eat?

As with most birds, baby blue jays eat more or less the same things that their parents eat. Adult blue jays bring nuts, seeds, insects and small animals back to the nest for their chicks. For at least six weeks after hatching, the chicks are totally dependent on their parents to bring them food, and the parents bring whatever they can find.

Why Did a Blue Jay Attack Me?

Despite the fact that they are somewhat small in the world of wildlife, blue jays are surprisingly aggressive and fearless. Plenty of people have been attacked by angry blue jays, and most of them were just walking down the street or in their yard when it happened. Fortunately blue jays aren’t really capable of doing any damage, but it’s still an unnerving experience.

Do Blue Jays Like Acorns?

Acorns are a favorite food of blue jays, although they’re a bit too big for the babies to eat. That’s fine, since by the time acorns are available the babies will have left the nest and grown to adult size. Acorns are a favorite for blue jays, and each fall adult birds will hide somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 acorns in the ground, saving them for the winter months.

What happens if you dive bomb a blue jay?

In all likelihood, if you’re dive bombed by a blue jay, you were walking too close to their nest. Blue jays like to build their nests high up in trees and they hide them well, so it’s rare to spot them. The parents, though, are fierce protectors and won’t hesitate to chase of potential predators.

When do blue jays learn to fly?

The parents, though, are fierce protectors and won’t hesitate to chase of potential predators. This is especially true around May and June, when the babies are just learning to fly. This is when they’re at their most vulnerable, and the adults get extra protective of them. That’s when most blue jay attacks occur.

Can you rehab baby blue jays?

If you have determined that the baby blue jays do need help, it is important to contact a qualified bird rehabber. In many states, only certified rehab specialists are allowed to be in possession of wild birds. Not to mention they are trained in exactly how to care for them.

How to feed baby blue jays?

Try not to deal with tofu or wet bread or dry birdseed or milk to baby blue jays. Utilize an eyedropper to put the food toward the rear of the child bird’s mouth, past the windpipe. Feed hatchlings at regular intervals from morning until night.

What do baby blue jays eat?

Baby blue jays usually eat seeds, crickets, caterpillars, and worms brought by the parent birds in the nest. Read the full post to know what you can properly feed baby blue jays and their favorite foods.

Can Baby Blue Jays Eat Blueberries?

So, baby blue jays can eat blueberries without any hesitation if provided carefully.

What birds eat blueberries?

Blueberries are the most loved food of numerous birds. Frequently seen benefiting from them are robins and blue jay.

What is the best food for bluebirds?

The more significant part of these will be acknowledged during the chilly climate months if bluebirds have wintered over. Be that as it may, dinner worms are the best food to take care of bluebirds, and they will promptly eat them all year

Do blue jays eat eggs?

However, worms positively advance into many infant baby blue jay’s weight control plans. Blue jays are known to eat eggs or little birds, and it is the training that has discolored their standing. The fact is, they are generally veggie-lover birds.

Do blue jays drink water?

Baby blue jays stay in the nest and don’t get something to drink, so they only get to drink water from food their parents bring them, which is primarily bugs.

What can I feed my blue jays?

To answer the question, theres several things you can feed them. The simplest would be mashed up cooked oat meal with a little bit of milk added. Don't use tap water.. the chemicals in it aren't good for birds. Bottled or well filtered water would be best. I've always added vitamins to what I feed birds Im rehabbing but thats up to you. I've raised and released about a dozen blue jays and I believe many have made it just fine once released. Although tempting to keep as a pet blue jays belong in the wild! Hope that helps someone that wonders across this

Can birds drink tap water?

Don't use tap water.. the chemicals in it aren't good for birds. Bottled or well filtered water would be best.

Can you feed a bird mashed up oat meal?

The simplest would be mashed up cooked oat meal with a little bit of milk added. Don't use tap water.. the chemicals in it aren't good for birds. Bottled or well filtered water would be best.