Carnivorous Blue Jay (1 Viewer)

[cowhow]

Some years ago I hung a ceiling fan on our patio. From the fan to the patio roof is about an 1 1/2 to2 inch gap. This spring a pair of small black, gray and white birds built a nest inside the fan. Sorry, but I was never able to definitively identify them. But the fledglings grew and became noisy and more active. This afternoon there was tremendous chirping and screeching in the backyard until we witnessed a blue jay having either the mom or dad for lunch. Despite never seeing the fledglings leaving the nest it is now empty. My question is could the blue jay have raided the nest and killed the entire brood? I have not seen the surviving parent returning to the nest. I never knew blue jays could be so aggressive and carnivous.

 

[KC Foggin]

Oh yes! Our Blue Jays can be a wicked bird to have around nestlings.
Sorry to hear about your loss and the other parent will probably not come back to the area and move on.

 

[cowhow]

Oh yes! Our Blue Jays can be a wicked bird to have around nestlings.
Sorry to hear about your loss and the other parent will probably not come back to the area and move on.

I never knew that! I had witnessed blue jays bullying other birds but never thought about them being so aggressive. The poor mate of the victim would land near the blue jay furiously chirping.

 

[Farnboro John]

UK Magpies will not only raid nests but pursue fledging birds on their maiden flights, kill and eat them. Great Spotted Woodpeckers raid nests. Great Tits have been recorded in Europe assassinating hibernating bats and eating their brains. I've watched a Pheasant kill a Field Vole and take it away to eat (and they are also implicated in predation of young Adders).

The variety of birds that will at least opportunistically take live vertebrate prey is far wider than most people think.

John