Baby blue jays normally stay with their parents for their first two months of … Blue jays eat nuts, such as acorns, berries and seeds, as well as small insects like caterpillars, grasshoppers and beetles. Fruit bits that cling to discarded rinds or large seeds, such as pumpkin seeds, can also be great for feeding birds. Blue Jays may be common, but … Blue jays are commonly found in the central and eastern United States and in southern Canada. They have a preference for beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. Plant placement can reduce predator traffic. These birds are also found in the southeastern Canada and Central United States. Predators of adult blue jays include falcons, owls and hawks while nestling blue jays may become prey to snakes, crows, squirrels, raccoons, cats, other blue jays and birds of prey. Anting, the plumage-dipping behavior to which ants (mostly formicines) are commonly subjected by birds (mostly passerines), is shown in tests with hand-raised Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) and the ant Formica exsectoides to be instinctive: the birds displayed typical renditions of the behavior on the first occasion that they encountered ants.. The blue jay will whip the caterpillar around to remove the undesirable bristles and then swallow it down. Perhaps one of the most recognizable birds in North America, the Blue Jay is a familiar bird of the East and North. This article demonstrates blue jay facts that are rarely known elsewhere. If you was able to see this a blue jay would be the least of your worries:grin: Anting – While most birds dislike the taste of ants, blue jays will happily gobble them up, with a few steps first. Other water sources, including ponds and lakes, may be frozen over. Ages and sexes are similar after the juvenile plumage is mostly replaced during the first fall, and only in-hand examination can reveal specific age classes. ANTS. Do blue jays eat ants? When a nest is in jeopardy, both blue jay parents sometimes unite to attack or chase off predators. Feeding on ants could bring substantial rewards to a bird, in ant crop contents alone. It occurs when birds utilize ants in a stereotypic way. Blue Jays will eat a variety of insects. What Do Blue Jays Eat? Jays may be known as marauding rascals, raiding other birds’ nests, monopolizing bird feeders, and otherwise creating mischief in the yard. The consumption of caterpillars is especially beneficial during seasons when there are caterpillar infestations, such as gypsy moths. Although Blue Jays eat about 3 times as much plant matter as it does meat, a large part of their diet is made up of other animals such as mice, fish, bats and other small birds. You would go nuts at the amount of bees that leave to forage and never return. Starlings, robins, catbirds, and purple martins, blue jays, and cardinals eat adult beetles. A Blue Jay catches an Anole Lizard and stuffs it in the crevice of a tree branch to eat later as is their custom. The Blue Jay will not eat the ant but will pick it back up and instinctively rub the ant all over its feathers, using it as an insecticide. If a baby bird is found away from its nest or injured, it should be placed back on the branch of the tree in the first instance or the nearest avian rescue centre in the second. When faced with a threatening situation, an animal may appear lifeless and may even emit odors that resemble the smell of decaying flesh. Bluebirds eat the same types of foods in the yard as they eat in any other habitat, and planting bird-friendly landscaping that includes berry bushes and fruit trees for birds is best to feed bluebirds. A Blue Jay (unless it is the toronto Blue Jays mascott) couldnt eat enough to make a noticable difference in the hive.