Carnage at the bird feeder.

[Baitball Blogger]

Last edited Mon Aug 18, 2014, 09:47 PM - Edit history (1)

Found a dead blue jay under the bird feeder today. Riga Mortis had set in and I gave it a prompt burial by garbage bag after slipping on some rubber gloves. I looked around for clues for the motive and found a thick patch of palm hatch that looked nest-like and was ripped to pieces. It is sad to think that the territorial issues may have occurred between parents and an offspring that refused to seek new territory, but that is what I suspect happened this late in the season.

I do think it is a war between blue jays because a blue jay tried to get to the feeder and was scared off by another jay.

Anyone know if this is standard for this type of bird? They left the body like it was a warning.

[Chan790]

1. Not really surprising.

Blue Jays are territorial, possessive, aggressive and smart.

They're related to magpies and other corvids. Oddly, most species of corvids (ravens, crows, rooks, jackdaws, magpie, blackbirds, etc.) are communal.

But in short, Jay on Jay violence is not uncommon but the more likely cause was not nesting too close but possessiveness towards the feeder. The jay you saw has decided that the feeder is his/hers and theirs alone.