Crows and jays (Corvidae)
Baby pinyon jays: from egg to fledgling
A Pinyon Jay lays 2–5 eggs. They hatch after 16–17 days, and the young leave the nest 21 days later — about 37–38 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 2–5 eggs
- Incubation
- 16–17 days
- Time in the nest
- 21 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 37–38 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Cup in a pinyon or juniper, often loosely colonial
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (16–17 days): 2–5 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (21 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season pinyon jays mainly eat pinyon seeds, grasshoppers and caterpillars.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young pinyon jays are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When pinyon jays nest, state by state
Found a baby Pinyon Jay?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about pinyon jays
Frequently asked
How long do baby pinyon jays stay in the nest?
About 21 days after hatching. Eggs take 16–17 days to hatch, so it is roughly 37–38 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Pinyon Jay lay?
2–5 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do pinyon jays nest?
Cup in a pinyon or juniper, often loosely colonial.
What should I do if I find a baby Pinyon Jay on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.