8 Weird And Funny Behaviors Of Blue Jays You Won’t Believe

The Blue Jays, tiny birds with brilliant blue coloring and loud squawks, are among the most exciting species of birds spotted in North American habitats. Most of them are highly intelligent and gregarious and might perform a host of activities that, to most observers, seem rather quirky.

While some of these actions are pretty understandable regarding survival instincts, some have no clear explanations, which only contributes to the attractiveness of these birds. In this article, we will be discussing what we believe to be the eight weirdest and funniest behaviors of Blue Jays.

1.  The Peanut Pick-Up Routine

Among the various behaviors exhibited by Blue Jays, one of the most entertaining is how they choose which peanut to eat! In contrast to most birds that can gorge on food and take flight in a few seconds, these birds perform almost proper movements. Quitting guesswork and beginning with the first one, they will take the peanut and examine it.

This process involves shaking the peanut, weighing it, and, at times, tapping it with its beak as if it were a test on the quality of the peanut. Often, they can be observed throwing away many peanuts while picking only one to take out of the place. Such behavior creates a misleading impression that they are very choosey birds who like only the best peanut from a heap.

This peanut selection routine can be quite amusing to observe. As if Blue Jays are looking for a snack, it is not different from when a person picks through a bowl of mixed nuts trying to get to their preferred one. Such a degree of discriminative behavior proves the birds' intelligence and rather humorous disposition. This behavior makes birdwatchers and ordinary people appreciate their company since they are considerate in the animal kingdom.

2.  Body Bobbing: A Dance Of Excitement

In this action, the Blue Jay’s body can move up and down in a bouncy motion that may be hilarious. Swinging of the body may be a sign of having fun, being irritated, or even, at times, a sign of being angry. If a Blue Jay is fascinated with an object, for instance, food, a mate, or some object in its environment, it is likely to start oscillating its body vigorously.

Body bobbing can also be used as signaling, where one's behavior is aimed at sending a particular message to the other birds. For instance, during conflicts with other birds, body bobbing can indicate a willingness to fight and thus defend one's territory or as a sign of submission among the subordinates.

The fact that body bobbing is an action that can serve two types of functions makes these birds' social lives even more multifaceted. Therefore, watching the Blue Jays is fun and interesting.

3.  Nest Material Hoarding: Preparation Or Over-Preparation

A Blue Jay does an excellent job compared to many other species, especially when constructing the couples' nests. It is understood that they are aware of the nesting seasons and begin sourcing nest materials way before they start nesting. This behavior includes gathering objects that range from twigs and leaves to paper strings, among others. It is particularly funny because they accumulate large quantities of literature and store them for future use.

Most Blue Jays will gather far more than they require, and you will find heaps of nesting materials all over the area. This over-preparation can lead to some comical situations, for example, where a bird is likely to pick up an extremely large stick to carry or continuously tries to force a stick through a hole that cannot contain it.

Nevertheless, this also relates to practical purposes because birds know that they will have everything they need when they build nests. This has to be undoubtedly one of the cutest habits of these birds, given that while they are very functional, Blue Jays can also be very outrageous at times.

4.  The Peanut Stash: Strategic Or Forgetful

Apart from their peculiar practice of selecting ripe peanuts only, Blue Jays are also known to hoard their meals. This behavior, which is often referred to as caching, is a well-observed fact among bird species. Still, these birds do it in a rather comical manner, and this may be the reason why most hen owners find it hard to scold them.

They will bury nuts like peanuts under leaves or crevices of trees or even on artificial structures such as flower pots. Nevertheless, what makes this behavior particularly funny is that sometimes these birds are incapable of remembering where exactly they have hidden them. This causes them to get on a hunt when hungry, or conversely, they come across a hidden peanut by another bird or any animal.

There is a great sense of humor in concealing the food and forgetting where it was put, something that otherwise can be very functional. It is also a great example of the blue Jay's incredible mind and cunning, as the birds can always come up with new and better locations to put their cherished peanuts.

5.  Mimicking Sounds: The Great Impersonators

The Blue Jay's most fascinating feature is their ability to mimic other sounds. These mimic birds can reproduce all kinds of sounds, including shouts of other birds, especially alarm birds such as the hawk. This behavior is not only impressive but very useful as it helps to decide in complex problematic situations.

Through whistle imitations of possible predators, these birds will chase away other birds or animals that may threaten the former's food resources or their own lives. But that is not all the mimicking that goes on—the schools engage in mimicking with bird calls. These birds have been known to imitate various sounds and artificial sounds like an alarming car or ringing phone. It is funny enough that these animals exhibit such behaviors, but this ability to reproduce such a wide range of noises makes it even better.

Consider thinking that a hawk is flying around your compound only to be surprised that it is one of those prank-calling birds. Some of the Blue Jay species are masters of mimicry, not only proving their intelligence but also living up to their name of being the pranksters of the birding world.

6.  Tail Flicking: A Quirky Communication Gesture

Another activity that perhaps could be more significant but genuinely unique and occasionally comical is tail flicking among Blue Jays. In this case, they constantly relay messages to other people around them, whether in their normal boring or not.

Researchers have had difficulty decoding these gestures and categorizing them as either positive, such as curiosity and excitement, or negative, such as annoyance and aggressiveness. The graceful and swift undulating tail movement is another kind of nonverbally stimulated activity, which is rather exciting and amusing to watch. It may often present during social contact with other birds or when the bird is most active.

However, this gesture may take a different form; for instance, whenever a Blue Jay feels threatened by something, it can be observed to flick its tail constantly. On the one hand, the tail flicking might be associated with passion if the cat runs around the object or space for the first time.

7.  Anting: A Bizarre Beauty Treatment

One of the most peculiar behaviors observed in blue Jays is called "anting." In this process, the bird holds ants in its beak and rubs them against its feathers—looking somewhat unappetizing from the perspective of conventional bird behavior.

But there is a reason behind this, which seems like madness. The ants release formic acid, and it appears that that is how the birds are treated for parasites or their skin is massaged. Anting by a bird is quite entertaining to watch, and at times, one has to laugh when the bird continues the exercise vigorously.

A Blue Jay looks like it is being given a beauty treatment, which is expected to be a beauty treatment by applying ants to the bird. The science behind this kind of behavior is quite fascinating.

1.    Th' 'Jeer' Call—Loud And Proud

The last in the behaviors of Blue Jays is the jeer call; this is often an alarming sound used to announce the presence of these birds from a distance.

This call is mainly used when there is danger or when a bird wants to establish authority in a given area. The proboscis of jeer call is associated with ruffing or puffing out of the chest contour, making the body of the bird look larger and threatening to some extent.

Although the call these birds make may not be one of the most pleasant to the ears, the enthusiasm with which they make the call is outstanding and makes the listeners laugh.

Conclusion

Blue jays are not simply birds that give people pleasure and excitement by the sight of occasional blue in the sky; they are birds with high intellectual potential and several exciting and enjoyable actions to watch. From how they choose their peanuts to their ability to mimic human sounds, these birds are always a delight to watch for those who will invest their time to do so.