How long do blue jays live?

Longevity records come from birds that were marked and later found again, usually through bird banding, or from birds kept in zoos. They show what a Blue Jay can survive to, not what most do. This one comes from captivity, where there are no predators, storms or food shortages, so wild blue jays rarely come close.

For small birds, the first year is the hardest. Many eggs and nestlings are lost to predators and weather, and young birds that leave the nest still have to learn to find food and avoid hawks and cats. A bird that survives its first winter has a much better chance of living several more years. That is why average lifespans in the wild are short even when the record is long.

Blue jays usually start breeding at about 1 year old. Each season a pair lays 2–7 eggs and raises 1 per season (occasionally 2), with eggs taking 16–18 days to hatch.

Oldest recorded ages for other crows and jays on this site.

• Common Raven69 years
• Black-billed Magpie20 years
• American Crow20 years
• Canada Jay19.2 years
• Clark's Nutcracker17.4 years
• Steller's Jay16.1 years

• Blue Jay: identification, diet and range
• Baby blue jays: eggs, nestlings and fledglings