New York · Year-round resident

Blue Jays in New York

When blue jays are present in New York, when they nest, which native New York plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 3b–7b yard.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Status in New York: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April–July
Broods: 1 per season (occasionally 2)
Hardiness zones: USDA 3b–7b

When to expect blue jays in New York

Blue Jays live in New York all year. Long, snowy winters upstate; lake-effect snow belts make feeders and roost boxes important. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward acorns and beechnuts, heavily cached in fall; peanuts, sunflower and suet at feeders.

Humid continental, from cold Adirondack highlands to the maritime-moderated coast of Long Island.

Nesting in New York

Across New York, blue jays typically nest from April–July. Nest site: open cup of twigs in tree crotches, usually 10–25 ft up. Females lay 2–7 eggs, incubate for 16–18 days, and young leave the nest after 17–21 days.

Warm summers with a shorter nesting season upstate than downstate.

Blue Jays don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as winterberry, oaks, white oak for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after July.

Native New York plants that attract blue jays

Of the regional native plants we track for New York, these 4 provide food or cover blue jays use:

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Winter fruit.

Oaks

Quercus spp. · Tree

Acorns and caterpillars.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Feeding blue jays through the New York year

Jays carry several nuts at once in a throat pouch to cache. A dedicated peanut station reduces crowding at finch and chickadee feeders.

Best foods: Peanuts in the shell, Black-oil sunflower, Suet, Cracked corn.
In New York's winter: Long, snowy winters upstate; lake-effect snow belts make feeders and roost boxes important.

Full diet breakdown for blue jays · Best feeder for blue jays

Frequently asked

Are blue jays in New York year-round?

Yes. Blue Jays are year-round residents in New York.

When do blue jays nest in New York?

Nesting in New York typically runs April–July, with 1 per season (occasionally 2). Clutches are 2–7 eggs, incubated for 16–18 days.

What native plants attract blue jays in New York?

Winterberry, Oaks, White oak, Bur oak are native plants in New York that provide food or cover for blue jays.

Other backyard birds in New York

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay Fox Sparrow

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.