Despite their hostile behavior towards other birds, Blue Jays are soft-hearted towards their own species. Still, they have been observed attacking hawks, owls, or cats that get excessively close. But do Blue Jays scare away Cardinals?

Let’s take a further look at these birds and their behavior.

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Photo by Jack Bulmer

The Blue Jay is a member of the Corvidae family. This might surprise you (it did me!). Other Corvids include crows, ravens, and scrub jays. As a group, they are known for being raucous, aggressive at times, and very loud.

Distribution

As you can see from the eBird Range Map above, the Blue Jay is widespread across continental America and has some population growth in Canada.

Diet

The Blue Jay diet consists of insects, fruits, seeds, and bird eggs. It is the bird eggs that present the start of our problem. Other birds know that the Blue Jay will take eggs from nests and so will not welcome them as neighbors and act aggressively towards them. Research has not confirmed how much of the diet consists of eggs, but it is thought to be quite little.

In different feeding circumstances, however, the Blue Jay is on the receiving end. At bird feeders, they are often dominated and prevented from taking food by woodpeckers, grackles, squirrels, and sometimes even Northern Cardinals.

The Blue Jay is also a target of forest hawks and their chicks from squirrels.

Behavior

During breeding time, the Blue Jay focuses on its mate and chicks. They do not establish areas of territory like other songbirds do, simply because there will be a lot of them in a single region. They are, however, very protective of their nest.

During non-breeding times and migration, Blue Jays are more sociable and will gather in groups. They are still independent within those groups and search for food for themselves. As they are targets of hawks, they do work together to raise an alarm when there are any close by.

Cardinals

There are 2 species of cardinal in the continental United States. For our purposes, we will look more closely at the most widespread species – the Northern Cardinal. The other species is the Pyrrhuloxia, which fills the gap in southwestern America.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Photo by Skyler Ewing

The Northern Cardinal is a member of the Cardinalidae family. This group also includes tanagers, grosbeak, and buntings. Another surprise!

Distribution

The Range Map above shows that the Northern Cardinal can be found across the eastern and central areas of America, and they are also found through Mexico and into Central America.

Diet

Like the Blue Jay, the Northern Cardinal is an omnivore and an opportunist. It eats seeds, larvae, insects, and fruits. The diet may vary according to what is available in its location. They are regular visitors to backyard bird feeders.

The Northern Cardinal is also food for a number of hawk species, as well as owls and even squirrels. Eggs in the nest are targeted by snakes, squirrels, hawks, and, you guessed it, the Blue Jay.

Behavior

The Northern Cardinal is very territorial, particularly during the breeding season. Once nests are built and eggs laid, they will defend them aggressively, sometimes joining with other birds to mob invaders.

The family and extended family will bond together during the fall season. Groups will then join together to make larger flocks, which then look for food.

What do Northern Cardinal and Blue Jays have in Common?

Both species are recognized as being very intelligent. They can manipulate and control circumstances for their own potential benefit, especially when working in a group. So, it may be inferred that they presume other birds are at a lower level—intelligence-wise.

They are both omnivorous and opportunists, taking advantage of what their local area offers.

Adult jays and cardinals are targets of hawks and other predators, and the nests are also vulnerable to animals looking to steal eggs.

Both birds enjoy and will visit backyard bird feeders, and both will bully smaller birds to get the best and most food.

Photo by Jack Bulmer

Do Blue Jays Bully Northern Cardinals?

Take a wider view of the situation. Here, we have 2 similarly sized birds that eat the same diet, are brightly colored, and enjoy eating at bird feeders.

Is that a recipe for conflict?

Sure!

Who comes out on top? Well, Jays and Cardinals are perfectly able to get along and eat at the same feeder. However, the Northern Cardinal is generally a shy bird, known for being gentle, so it may lose out. But before you cry foul, remember that the Northern Cardinal is capable of being aggressive and bullying other birds. It may come off second best in a spat with a Blue Jay, but that is only really because they are of similar size. The more reticent cardinal may just choose to opt out of a conflict with the jay and look for food elsewhere.

Photo by Skyler Ewing

How to Ensure the Cardinal Gets Fed

A trick I do that will solve this issue is putting the food in a smaller cylinder feeder. Blue Jays may not be able to stand and eat on small cylinder feeders, so this gives a spot for Northern Cardinals to eat all they want without the risk of getting bullied.

Are Cardinals Scared of Other Things?

Cardinals are notoriously cautious of anything that appears new to them. These birds can recognize and sense danger if it’s close. When the Northern Cardinal see their own reflection, they see it as an intruder, and begin to attack and peck at it to chase it away. So, they are scared of anything that seems a threat.

Final Thoughts

Both the Blue Jay and Northern Cardinal are gorgeous birds to have in your backyard. The jay is slightly larger and more gregarious but the cardinal is able to stick up for itself when it needs to. It just has a more passive nature. Our tip for keeping the peace – keep those feeders full of food so there is enough for everyone.