Do Scrub-Jays hide food?

Summary: The fact that scrub jays continually move their food from one hiding place to another (known as recaching) does not necessarily imply subtle social intelligence on their part – it could simply be due to stress. Nearly all birds belonging to the corvid or crow family hide food underground, storing it for later.

What is a Scrub-Jays favorite food?

California Scrub-Jays are fond of sunflower seeds and peanuts at feeders. If you have dense shrubs or small trees in your yard, a pair might build a nest.

How do you attract Scrub-Jays?

Suet, mealworms, cracked corn, and sunflower seeds are other great options to attract jays, and natural food sources such as small fruits and berries—elderberries, cherries, wild grapes, blackberries, etc. —keep jays coming back for more.

Do Blue Jays remember where they hide their peanuts?

They hide seeds behind tree bark or under the siding on your house. They, too, will remember those locations. In all, some 15 species of birds cache. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology writes that caching is like a giant game of Concentration.

Do scrub jays eat hummingbirds?

Alas, it happens all of the time. Hummers are a popular target not only for scrub jays, but lizards, snakes, crows, orioles, squirrels, bats and, of course, cats.

What’s the difference between a scrub jay and a blue jay?

Western scrub-jays have long tails and small bills. The head, wings, and tail are blue, the back is brown, the underside is gray to tan, and the throat is white. Unlike Steller’s jays and blue jays, they do not have a crest.

Why do scrub jays puff up?

Like many birds, scrub jays puff up, especially in winter. Birds fluff or changing their feathers to generate air pockets. The more air space they have, the better the insulation will be to keep them warm.

Do scrub jays fly?

Pairs of California Scrub-Jays are often seen swooping across clearings, giving harsh calls, with their long tails flopping in flight. They readily come to backyard bird feeders….California Scrub-Jay.

Conservation status	Healthy population overall, and increasing in recent years in northern part of range.
Family	Crows, Magpies, Jays

Are scrub jays aggressive?

California scrub-jays might be one of the most hated birds in the Bay Area. They are aggressive, eat anything including baby birds, and don’t get along with their neighbors.. During mating and nesting season, they can be ever worse, but they still are a beautiful, intelligent bird.

What is the lifespan of a scrub jay?

approximately 9 years
The life span of wild California scrub jays is approximately 9 years. The oldest known western scrub jay was found in Castaic, CA, in 1991 and raised in captivity. “Aaron” lived to be 19 years, and 8 months old.

Why do blue jays hide their peanuts?

Jays will cache seeds and nuts to retrieve later, and make repeated trips to feeders to gather food and hide it in a safe spot. Blue jays mainly select undamaged nuts to bury; research has shown that only 10 percent of the nuts they cache are not viable seeds. RELATED:Why are cardinals and blue jays going bald?

What is the best food for Blue Jays?

Blue jays prefer to eat their food from tray and hopper feeders, or another flat raised surface. Their robust bill can make quick work of peanuts, acorns, sunflower seeds and even suet.