Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Genus: Cyanocitta Species: cristata Profile: 15 positives 1 neutral No negatives Regional... This bird has been reportedly found in the following regions: Albertville, Alabama Cullman, Alabama Vincent, Alabama Marina, California San Francisco, California Thornton, Colorado Brookfield, Connecticut Madison, Connecticut North Haven, Connecticut Bartow, Florida Black Diamond, Florida Carver Ranches, Florida Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fountain, Florida Fruitville, Florida Jacksonville, Florida (2 reports) Macgregor, Florida Miami, Florida New Port Richey East, Florida Palm Shores, Florida South Daytona, Florida Trenton, Florida Dallas, Georgia Marietta, Georgia Snellville, Georgia Rock Falls, Illinois Tinley Park, Illinois Westchester, Illinois Coatesville, Indiana Corunna, Indiana Memphis, Indiana Des Moines, Iowa Dubuque, Iowa Hubbard, Iowa Sioux Center, Iowa Sioux City, Iowa Calvert City, Kentucky Ewing, Kentucky Hebron, Kentucky Melbourne, Kentucky Baton Rouge, Louisiana Clinton, Maryland Frederick, Maryland Linthicum, Maryland Loch Lynn Heights, Maryland Halifax, Massachusetts Belleville, Michigan Brooklyn, Michigan Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn Heights, Michigan Dowagiac, Michigan Royal Oak, Michigan Traverse City, Michigan Albertville, Minnesota Britt, Minnesota Corcoran, Minnesota Grand Portage, Minnesota Le Center, Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Golden, Mississippi Maben, Mississippi Marietta, Mississippi Airport Drive, Missouri Cole Camp, Missouri Conway, Missouri Glendale, Missouri Marshfield, Missouri Papillion, Nebraska Beachwood, New Jersey Blackwood, New Jersey Denville, New Jersey Marlton, New Jersey Society Hill, New Jersey Woodstown, New Jersey Croton-on-hudson, New York Hamburg, New York Himrod, New York Pittsford, New York West Islip, New York Yonkers, New York Broadway, North Carolina Concord, North Carolina Elizabeth City, North Carolina Oxford, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina Winston-salem, North Carolina Belfield, North Dakota Bucyrus, Ohio Dayton, Ohio Haskins, Ohio Lebanon, Ohio Mount Orab, Ohio North Ridgeville, Ohio Pleasant Grove, Ohio Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Mill City, Oregon Downingtown, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Scottdale, Pennsylvania Whitehall, Pennsylvania Summerville, South Carolina Crossville, Tennessee Elizabethton, Tennessee Finger, Tennessee Summertown, Tennessee Austin, Texas (2 reports) Desoto, Texas Euless, Texas Fort Worth, Texas Houston, Texas (2 reports) Katy, Texas Mckinney, Texas Spring, Texas (2 reports) Watauga, Texas Weatherford, Texas Windcrest, Texas Essex Junction, Vermont Alexandria, Virginia Bon Air, Virginia Hurt, Virginia Newport News, Virginia Penhook, Virginia Roanoke, Virginia Sterling, Virginia Walkerton, Virginia Appleton, Wisconsin Member Notes: Rating Author Comment Positive Mrs_Ed On Dec 27, 2008, Mrs_Ed from Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a) wrote: Some say these birds are bullies, but I haven't found that so in my yard. They are large and loud though! Put whole peanuts out for them and let the fun begin. Positive nanny_56 On Dec 28, 2008, nanny_56 from Putnam County, IN (Zone 5b) wrote: We also do not find our jays to be aggressive or bullies. They will even sit in the maple tree and take turns coming down to the platform to get nuts. We have observed some that will imitate Red-tail Hawks to scare or keep away other small birds while they eat. I can't imagine a day without Blue Jays! Positive dahlianut On Dec 29, 2008, dahlianut from Calgary, AB (Zone 3a) wrote: The Northern Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata bromia) nests in my neighbourhood. It is the largest subspecies and a duller blue that the others. Although they are loud, they are non-agressive in my garden so are tolerated by the nesting robins whereas other larger birds are driven out. Having separate feeders for the smaller birds keeps everyone happy! Positive DMgardener On Jan 1, 2009, DMgardener from (Daniel) Mount Orab, OH (Zone 6b) wrote: This bird adores Sunflower Seeds. I save enough seeds for me from the heads and leave the remander on the grass and the Blue Jays will have a party with them! This is the 2nd. bluest bird in SW Ohio. (After the Indigo Bunting) Positive wormfood On Jan 8, 2009, wormfood from Lecanto, FL (Zone 9a) wrote: When these birds are screaming their heads off it's because a threat is near. A pack of bluejays will chase a hawk right out of a tree and down the block. Positive furlane On Jan 21, 2009, furlane from Papillion, NE wrote: My children have gotten the biggest kick out of watching these guys pick peanuts off the deck rail. One hot shot kept trying to fly away with two peanuts still in shells. Never worked. The kids decided to see how bright this guy was and put a couple of empty shells on the rail. This guy would walk down the rail checking for the heavy ones before flying off. The three of them spent hours on this game. Neutral DebinSC On Feb 3, 2009, DebinSC from Summerville, SC (Zone 8a) wrote: For those trying to I.D. this bird by it's call, the sound is like a "rusty gate hinge". One of the easiest calls to recognize if you keep that in mind. Positive barbsalim On Apr 16, 2009, barbsalim from Miami, FL wrote: I have a blue jay that every morning comes to my back door steps and takes dry food from my cat's bowl. He carries it over to the water bowl & dunks it before he eats. Positive plantladylin On Jan 7, 2010, plantladylin from Daytona Beach, FL (Zone 9b) wrote: The Blue Jay is a very common backyard bird in my area, seen frequently at our feeders and nesting in nearby trees. They do have a loud, distinctive call but not so loud as to be offensive. Some people consider Jay's to be bullies but there are so many feeders in my neighborhood that we often see them feeding alongside other birds without any bickering. It is fun to watch though when they do want the feeders to themselves ... they will mimic the call of hawks to scare the other birds into hiding, giving them free reign at the feeders! Positive JuneyBug On Mar 2, 2010, JuneyBug from Dover AFB, DE (Zone 7a) wrote: I have never found them to be bullies, but I have always had plenty for different sized feeders for the different birds. They mostly stay on the ground eating the cracked corn and sunflower that I scatter for them and the squirrels. They also like the bigger tray feeders since they are such big birds. You can make "friends" with them using peanuts and cat food. This is really helpful if you have snakes in your yard as they will alert you with loud raspy screeches when one is seen. They are also pretty good guards against the hawks, chasing them away when they come to the feeders to hunt. Positive bungalow1056 On Apr 8, 2010, bungalow1056 from Winston-Salem, NC (Zone 7b) wrote: Blue Jays are beautiful birds and are plentiful in central North Carolina. They are aggressive though. I was scarred as a kid when I saw one destroying the eggs out of another birds nest on my Mom's front porch. It's fun to watch them tussle with Cardinals here during the Spring mating season. I usually put my money on the Cardinal. Positive SteppinStone On Apr 14, 2010, SteppinStone from San Francisco, CA wrote: Western Scrub Jays are found in San Fancisco, California. They are a similar species to the Blue Jay. See this link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Scrub-Jay/id#simi... According to the information in the above article, the Western Scrub Jay is the 'Blue Jay' of the dry Western lowlands. Positive ladybug63 On May 18, 2010, ladybug63 from Ingersoll Canada wrote: I live in Southern Ontario. The Jays stay here year round along with the Cardinals and Chickadees. They all share the feeders and although the Jays are loud I enjoy their clamor when they are being disturbed. They will come down and drink in the water fall of the pond. Positive hydey6 On Jul 1, 2011, hydey6 from Corunna, IN wrote: I recently started to put peanuts out to try and attract blue jays because I feed Finches and Cardinals. I have not found the Blue Jays to be aggressive at all...they simply fly in, take the peanuts and fly out, not bothering any other birds. The Finches aren't bothered by them, but the sparrows and Cardinals go after them trying to chase them away. I even have a lone Robin going after them. The Blue Jays show no aggression at all toward the other birds harrassing them. There has to be a reason the other birds are attacking...so far I haven't seen it. Positive xiamenmom On Aug 17, 2011, xiamenmom from Dallas, GA (Zone 7a) wrote: The blue jays have been to my yard 2x, feeding off seeds on the ground. They are a little loud, but the only birds that have been pushy with are the mourning doves. Don't scare them off, but do make them stay out of their way. Worth the noise since they are so colorful. Positive soingolfer On Jan 16, 2013, soingolfer from Memphis, IN wrote: I put a bird feeder out 5 months ago and the Blue Jays love the Black Sunflower Seeds. You can tell the other birds, except the Cardinal (our State Bird), bow down the Blue Jay. Beautiful animals. I'll try to post pictures.

By EricBrian By threegardeners By Sheila_FW By Sheila_FW By onewish1 By podster By pelletory There are a total of 74 photos. Click here to view them all!