What does the Blue Jay eat?

The Blue Jay's diet shapes where and when you'll find it. Understanding what it eats helps you predict where to look.

Diet overview

Omnivore

How it forages

Highly opportunistic omnivores. Diet includes acorns, nuts, seeds, berries, fruits, insects (beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars), spiders, small vertebrates (frogs, mice, nestlings, eggs of other birds), and carrion. Known for caching large quantities of acorns and other seeds for later consumption, often burying them in the ground or hiding them in crevices. They use their strong bills to crack open nuts.

When it feeds

Diurnal

Explore the Blue Jay