Eating Habits Of Blue Jays

February 13, 2025

Bluejay

A boisterous, rowdy bird that lets everyone know that it has joined the party. The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata).

Blue Jays have a varied diet of nuts, seeds, berries and small fruits. They will also eat insects, spiders, snails, birds’ eggs, small rodents, frogs, carrion, and baby birds.

At the feeder you can watch them gulp and gulp and gulp down oodles of food. They are actually stuffing something that is called a gular pouch. A storage spot in their throat that is used for storage and transport of excess food. Allowing the Blue Jay to stash that extra food in the woods for times of need.

Sometimes with this stashing, they are planting things in the woods. They don’t always get back to those nuts and seeds.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Eating Habits Of Blue Jays”

  1. Yes, the Bluejays can be quite loud and sometimes eat a lot of peanuts at my feeders. I think they are fun birds to watch and I like how they all come together as family groups. If you haven’t, check out Lesley the Bird Nerd on YouTube. She has a unique relationship with the Bluejays.

    1. Hi Diane! Thanks for the suggestion to check out Lesly the Bird Nerd! What fun! I’m going to keep an eye on that one.

      Anyway, thanks so much for your suggestion. Seems fascinating. And thanks so very much for reading my posts!
      Bren

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