As some of the smartest and most talkative birds we have in North America, Blue Jays are more than just a lovely sight to see in your backyard. Their blue crests and bold looks add beauty, but their intelligent communication and wide range of behaviors allow them to express and send messages beyond the window. Seeing a Blue Jay in your yard means they could be trying to communicate something important to you, or something about the surroundings.
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That harsh "jay-jay" call is actually a high-tech alarm system. It can alert the entire neighborhood when there are predators like owls, hawks, and even domestic cats. Because of this ability, they're often referred to as feathered watchdogs. In addition, their warning calls imitate the sounds of hawks. Because of this, other birds will leave feeders, and the blue jays will have a feeding hall to themselves! So, the next time you hear the alarm of a blue jay, take a look around to see what baby blue jay predator is up to!
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2. Your oak trees are doing well!
For thousands of years, Blue Jays have collected acorns from Oak trees. According to the Audubon Society, a single Blue Jay can harvest acorns from Oak trees. Acorns are then buried in the ground where they will either grow into an Oak tree, or continue to be lost and forgotten by the Blue Jay. Blue Jays frequent areas that have plenty of Oak trees as a food and shelter source. If you have Blue Jays in your yard, it's a good sign that you have some good Oak trees in the area. Also, thank the Blue Jays for those beautiful Oak trees in your neighborhood, it's likely that they planted them there.
3. We commend you on the impressive quality of your choice in bird feeders!
So, how do blue jays feel about eating at your bird feeder? They expect top-quality dining! If your blue jay bird feeder attracts blue jays, then they are dining on the high end! Peanuts (shelled or unshelled), suet, and sunflower seeds are top-tier fare for these picky diners. These big birds are unique in their feeding habits because they collect multiple seeds and nuts to carry away for later. Blue jays will fly away with as many as five acorns at a time (this was documented by Cornell researchers in the recent past). These birds use specialized throat pouches called gular pouches to hold their food. When blue jays are frequent visitors to your bird feeder, they are leaving you a five-star rating and telling you that your feeder is the highest quality in the whole neighborhood!
4. "I understand you are the caretaker"
Incredibly, they can remember human faces for years. A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B showed that corvids (the family blue jays belong to) have the ability to recognize individual human faces! When a jay looks at you from a close branch, she is associating you with the food. Blue jays create long-term memories about people and record helpfulness versus threat level. Backyard birders have noticed that jays get comfortable enough to call out food provider. They even announce your arrival to other jays! What a welcome!
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5. \"Your backyard has a lot of potential for nesting.\"
Seeing blue jays collecting sticks, grass, and paper scraps means that they are starting to build a nest. As a result, your property's habitat quality has gotten better. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Blue jays like to build their nests in mature trees with dense leaves that are 10-25 feet off the ground. They especially like trees that are evergreens and oaks since those have plenty of leaves for cover and help protect them from predators. When jays use your yard for nesting, it gives you a lot of praise for your landscaping. People who have natural yards with diverse planting often host multiple generations of blue jays—and that is a lot of approval!
6. "The seasons are changing"
The activity of blue jays can indicate the upcoming of seasons. You may notice groups of jays becoming more active and saying nuts in the late summer and fall. That is sign of winter prep or of migration. Journey North shows that not all blue jays migrate, but if you go far enough north, some populations move south over 1,000 miles! Before people could check their phones for the weather, they had to look for signs in nature. Food storage is often used as a predictor for if a winter will be harsh. When blue jays are storing food, it might be time to prepare for winter.
7. "We appreciate your water source"
Blue jays are frequent bird bath visitors. They love it! Blue jays love to bathe in bird baths, but they bathe in only the best. National Wildlife Federation states that Blue Jays love bird baths with fresh, clean water that is 1-2 inches deep and has gradual slopes to help them access the water. Other birds even get called in by the jays as they are splashing everyone! It is a party! It is important to remember that their baths are not just for fun. Bathing gets rid of all of the parasites living in their feathers and assists blue jays in keeping their feathers healthy. Overall, Blue jays are fun to watch!
8. "I'm part of a family unit"
When you watch blue jays feeding one another or see a slightly ruffled jay being tended to by another, you're seeing their strong family ties. Blue jays usually mate for life, something that behavioral ecologists have confirmed. They keep close family ties; juvenile jays often stay with their parents through their first winter. The soft and gentle calls family members use are different from their loud and harsh alarm calls. These close vocalizations are checks, or blue jay sweet nothings, with loved ones! Their family dynamics may remind us of our family check-ins and connections.
9. "I'm smarter than you think"
Blue jays are smart enough to open your squirrel-proof feeder or sit and wait for the smaller birds to open sunflower seeds before swooping in to steal it from them. Blue jays are part of the corvid family, which also includes ravens and crows. These birds are some of the most intelligent on the planet. Studies done at Tufts University show that corvids can use tools and solve jeter. Most backyard birders have seen jays learn new tricks and teach them to their young. These birds are the biggest problem solvers. They are constantly learning and watching. They jerk out our best defenses placed on bird feeders.
10. "My territory is here"
When a blue jay calls from the same spot repeatedly, he is trying to claim that spot as his own. Breeding studies say blue jays will claim and defend a territory of between two and ten acres. Calling is the same as announcing a property line, and in this case, an aerial property outline as well! Blue jays will patrol the yard as you observe this behavior. Blue jays bob up and down while making calls into a pump handle display. This behavior is associated with calling and defending property lines, and is likely at the center of this display. It likely translates to, "This is MY yard and I own all of the insects, but I'll let you stay here because you provide snacks!"
11. "There's a predator overhead"
Typically vocal blue jays going silent is as important as their loudest calls. If jays suddenly disappear or freeze with their heads raised, it is likely that they have spotted a hawk or owl. A study in PNAS describes this behavior as part of a highly developed system of responses to predators, reflecting millions of years of evolution. The jays going silent produces a wide ripple effect in the ecosystem. Squirrels and chipmunks also silence themselves, and other birds do, too. It is a pause in the symphony of nature that indicates danger from above. When blue jays go silent, it is nature's version of hitting the mute button and is a good time to look up!
12. "I'm not really blue"
Blue jays are able to show us one of nature's most interesting illusions. The intense blue color in blue jays’ feathers has no blue pigment like other birds do. For example, cardinals have a blue pigment and the color of their feathers comes from refraction of light. This means that their blue color comes from a special structure in their feathers that cause the light to bend in a different way. A study on this illusion was published in the scientific journal “Nature” and it confirmed that what we see is not a blue pigment. If you were to crush a blue jay feather, the bright blue would appear to disappear! During the late summer period of molting, blue jays can look a bit patchy or are even bald to show that the blue color is an illusion. Blue jays absolutely have no true blue coloring in their feathers. It's all about the refraction of light.
