Bird guide · Cyanocitta cristata
Blue Jay
What the blue jay eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Partial migrant; variable numbers migrate south by day in fall.
- Size
- 10.5 in (27.5 cm)
- Eats
- peanuts in the shell, seeds, suet
- Feeds
- tray/platform, hopper, ground
- Most common
- Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts
Food
What do blue jays eat?
At feeders, blue jays take peanuts in the shell, seeds, suet, acorns.
Pounds hard nuts open with its bill, stores acorns in the ground and may chase others from the feeder.
Feeder that suits it
A tube or hopper feeder with sunflower seed or sunflower hearts.
Range
Where do blue jays live?
Eastern backyards and woodlots. By share of all bird sightings, blue jays are most common in Vermont (3.8%).
States where blue jays are most common
- Vermont3.8%
- New Hampshire3.5%
- Massachusetts3.3%
- Pennsylvania3.3%
- Michigan3.3%
- Arkansas3.3%
- West Virginia3.3%
- Kentucky3.2%
- Connecticut3.1%
- Minnesota3.1%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are blue jays, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the blue jay migrate?
Partial migrant; variable numbers migrate south by day in fall.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in October.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are blue jays, by month.
Identification
How to identify the blue jay
Adults: Crested jay, blue-grey back, bright blue wings and tail, black necklace, white wing bars and tail corners.
Size: 10.5 in (27.5 cm)
Easily confused with
- Steller's Jay – dark head and crest, no white in wings or tail
On camera
Getting the blue jay on a feeder camera
Any seed camera feeder works. Hang it near shrubs for cover, about five feet off the ground, with the lens facing away from direct sun.
Questions
Blue Jay: questions
What do blue jays eat?
At feeders, peanuts in the shell, seeds, suet, acorns.
Do blue jays migrate?
Partial migrant; variable numbers migrate south by day in fall.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in October.
Where do blue jays live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon.