The blue jay is a passerine (perching) bird endemic to eastern North America and belongs to the Corvidae family. Several individuals recognize this popular, big songbird through its jaunty crest, blue, white, with black plumage, and loud cries.
Yes, blue jays eat worms quite frequently. A blue jay eats plants, worms, seeds, and eggs, making it an omnivore. Blue jays have a reputation for eating eggs or nestlings, and this behavior has damaged their image.
They also consume:
- spiders
- snails
- birds’ eggs
- tiny rodents
- frogs
- baby birds
- carrion
- and other things
- as well as caterpillars
- beetles
- grasshoppers
- and many other insects
Since they are easy to track down and provide, bird observers typically consider mealworms an important diet for blue jays.
Do blue jays eat earthworms?
Yes, blue jays often eat earthworms.
Blue jay birds eat earthworms for several reasons. The first and foremost being that birds may eat on earthworms in the wild since the earthworms are relatively straightforward to capture.
Secondly, they are available in such abundance, which makes it an easy addition to most wild birds diet.
It is a known fact that although many birds are not worm eaters frequently, they might join in from time to time, so it is quite safe to say that, yes, most birds prefer eating worms.
And the fact that blue jays have such strong beaks makes it a whole lot easier for them to pull out the earthworms and eat them. This is why earthworms are often regarded as an important component of their diet.
Earthworms and insect larvae are the most common foods for blue jays, though they will eat just about any type of worm they can catch.
Although blue jays prefer mealworms, when they aren’t available, they will eat earthworms.
Do blue jays eat mealworms?
Blue jays will eat almost anything and are not afraid to do so. Seed, suet, fruit, mealworms, and a variety of other foods are a popular component of a blue jay diet.
Mealworms and other insects are favorites of blue jays, especially in the winter.
This sort of feeder, nevertheless, may become costly if you’re feeding a captive blue jay due to the birds huge size and insatiable appetites.
Mealworms should only be fed to jays during the winter months when they are not traveling.
Mealworms that have been dried are a good source of protein.
They offer a balanced diet of protein, fat, and fiber to help birds stay healthy and active.
The natural tendency of a blue jay is to eat mealworms. Mealworms and other insects are a natural element of many blue jays’ diets.
What species of worm do blue jays eat?
Blue jays love eating worms, and they eat nearly all kinds and species (including caterpillars, sometimes referred to as “worms”).
Mealworms are a typical form of food that many people offer to attract blue jays.
Mealworms are frequently regarded as a pivotal diet food for blue jays by bird watchers since they quickly obtain and provide a lot of protein to the birds.
Blue jays can consume around 100-150 mealworms each day on average, so feeding birds this food can get expensive. Mealworms are a favorite snack of blue jays as you may have guessed by now.
The blue jay’s diet consists of a range of items. These birds are clever and adaptive, and while they will readily consume peanuts from bird feeders, suet feeders and a hopper feeder, they prefer to eat worms where possible such as earthworms and mealworms.
Blue jays are mostly known to prefer earthworms and mealworms, and these are the most frequently eaten ones by other birds as well.
Can baby blue jays eat worms?
Just like every other baby bird, baby blue jays also eat whatever their parents bring to feed them.
As far as worms are concerned, baby blue jays do eat worms, but again, only those that their parents provide them with.
They’ll swallow a worm if their parent delivers it to them. Caterpillars and seeds are generally more frequent, although earthworms are definitely found in the diets of many a newborn baby blue jay.
Worms are difficult to discover as they live underground, but now and then, a big rain or human impact sends a swarm of worms to the forefront, and the blue jays will go for them.
The parents (both male and female blue jays find food for, and feed their young) also evaluate the maturity of the baby blue jays; extremely small baby blue jays are sometimes unable to ingest big earthworms or mealworms.
Baby birds consume the same foods as their parents in the wild: worms, insects, and seeds.
Adult birds can consume mealworms without difficulty, but baby birds will need to be fed until they learn to eat independently.
So, their parents give them various foods, including mealworms and earthworms, until they are two to five weeks old.
Summary
This article goes into great detail on whether or not blue jays eat worms, which you now know they do.
Worms are more attractive to blue jays than other meals because they are wriggly, colorful, and capture their attention more than other options.
Although there are quite a number of worms available for blue jays to eat, they mostly prefer having mealworms or earthworms.
Among these two, however, mealworms are the most preferred ones, so much that blue jays can eat up to 100 to 150 mealworms per day! Too much, right? Well, not for them.
Although worms generally do fulfill blue jays’ food needs, they do not cover the entirety of their nutritional needs and are not very beneficial either.
Mealworms and earthworms, also when eaten in large quantities, tend to cause problems in blue jays. So, if you plan to feed your blue jays a diet of worms, be mindful of the quantities you’re providing.
Read about many more articles on worms and their facts on our site..
Fun Blue Jay Facts
- The blue jay’s territory has progressively expanded northwestwards, making it an uncommon but common winter migrant along the northern US and southern Canadian Pacific Coasts.
- Blue jays are noted for their humor and intricate social networks, which include strong familial ties. Their love for acorns has aided in the expansion of oak trees following the last glacial era.
- Blue jays, who belong to the corvid family, are well-known for their intelligence.
