Lynn: I watched blue jays in my backyard as they interacted with a pin oak just over the fence. From a second story window, I was able to see into the oak’s canopy as jays pried acorns from the tree. Over several fall seasons, I spotted more and more of this acorn gathering in real time.
I noticed, too, where the peanuts from my bird feeder were being hidden. One jay buried a peanut under leaf litter. Another time I spotted a jay leaving a peanut in the rain gutter of my neighbor’s house. I also watched a blue jay pull an acorn out from between flagstones on my patio.
Me: Jays are related to crows, and crows are pretty smart birds. How do jays exhibit their corvid intelligence?
Lynn: Blue jays are part of the corvid family, which includes crows, magpies, nutcrackers, and ravens. Blue jays are very intelligent. They have an amazing spatial memory, which helps them locate thousands of buried acorns. The blue jay that dug up an acorn from my patio knew exactly where it was hidden. It landed, plucked it out, and was flying again a few seconds later.
Blue jays are also great mimics. Their calls can sound like a hawk, or a squeaky gate. The hawk call may alert other jays to predators nearby or trick other birds into thinking a hawk is present. I hear the hawk call often, and the jays always fool me. I look outside when I hear it, but each time it’s a blue jay perching in a nearby tree. Only one time was it a hawk circling high above my street.
In captivity—but not in the wild—blue jays have been observed using tools to rake food into their cages.
The black markings on their faces and throats (called a bridle or necklace) vary and may help the jays to tell each other apart. Do you think you can tell the blue jays at your feeder apart?
This one comes from Lynn: Watch your jay’s behavior. Is the bird eating? Is it hiding food or plucking an already buried acorn out of the ground? Blue jays move quickly, so pay close attention!