7 Causes Why Blue Jays May Peck at Wooden

In relation to appears, Blue Jays are among the many most stunning birds. Nevertheless, a whole lot of owners think about these birds a nuisance due to the numerous inconveniences of the fowl. In spite of everything, Blue Jays are fairly chatty and loud, which might deter different yard birds away out of your fowl feeder.

Moreover, some Blue Jays could do some peculiar behaviors that may be fairly damaging, like pecking at wood constructions, homes, and home windows, so why do Blue Jays peck wooden?

Blue Jays don’t peck wooden naturally like woodpeckers. Nevertheless, they’ll nonetheless decide up this conduct, for causes similar to excavating the exterior layers of wooden, chipping paint over wooden for calcium, and even speaking with different birds. It additionally depends upon how onerous they peck on the wooden.

If you wish to discover out extra about Blue Jays, why they do that conduct, and tips on how to cease them from damaging your wood constructions, carry on studying this information!

7 Causes Why Blue Jays May Peck at Picket Buildings

Blue Jays are among the many most clever species of birds on this planet, and since they don’t naturally peck at wooden, there are some attention-grabbing the reason why they is likely to be doing it. Within the following part, we’ll stroll you thru a few of the most attention-grabbing ones:

1. To Seek for Bugs Hidden Contained in the Wooden

Blue Jays are omnivores, which implies that they’ll eat absolutely anything, whether or not it’s plant or animal matter.

Whereas Blue Jays primarily feed on vegetable matter, similar to nuts, acorns, seeds, and suet in fowl feeders, in addition they feed on numerous sorts of bugs. These embody caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, ants, and many others.

Prime Tip: Since many bugs will search refuge inside tree barks, Blue Jays will attempt to peck on the infested wooden matter within the tree in an effort to excavate these holes and eat the bugs inside.

In reality, a whole lot of owners who just lately had carpenter bees making holes in bushes and decks round their property will quickly discover Blue Jays pecking at woods round that space

2. To Chip off Paint for Vitamin

In some instances, you would possibly discover that Blue Jays don’t solely peck uncovered wooden, but in addition painted ones. If that’s the case in your family, there’s a respectable probability that the blue jay just isn’t truly going after the wooden.

As a substitute, the fowl is likely to be attempting to take away the paint chips in an effort to incorporate these chips into their feed in order that they’ll profit from the calcium content material within the paint chips.

This usually occurs when sources for calcium diet are scarce, particularly across the mating season when Blue Jays want extra diet.

3. To Scare Different Birds

As beforehand talked about, Blue Jays are among the many smartest birds on this planet. In reality, it’s one of many few birds which can be able to cracking nuts and acorns open. Nevertheless, these aren’t the one means Blue Jays exhibit their intelligence.

Blue Jays are additionally recognized for mimicking the loud calls of hawks in an effort to scare off different birds within the space and mark their territory.

Nevertheless, it’s theorized by scientists that Blue Jays solely after any noise that can preserve the birds off, and since loud tabs on the wooden are extremely efficient at spooking some birds, there’s probability that they’re doing it for that cause.

4. To Mark Their Territory

Just like the earlier level, Blue Jays could use the tapping sound as a means of communication with different birds and Blue Jays within the space.

Creator Word: In the course of the mating season, Blue Jays would possibly use the wooden pecking as a technique to indicate dominance and mark their territory.

That is usually completed by male Blue Jays as a method to appeal to feminine mates and warn different males to not step into their territory.

5. To Retailer Meals

As a sensible fowl, Blue Jays are able to determining options to their issues. Usually, a Blue Jay will stash its meals in an not easily seen space in an effort to shield it from different opportunists and bugs.

One of many spots that Blue Jays could use to cover their meals stash is behind tree barks. Whereas looking for an appropriate tree, blue will perform some exams at numerous spots by pecking at totally different wood constructions and bushes.

6. To Clear Their Payments

Birds must preserve their payments clear in an effort to catch meals, and Blue Jays aren’t an exception right here. Most often, birds will clear their payments by rubbing them in opposition to bushes and strong constructions.

However, there are some conditions the place their payments want additional cleansing, so that they find yourself tapping them in opposition to wooden, which finally ends up making some noise and giving the impression that they’re pecking wooden.

7. An Particular person Habits from a Single Blue Jay

Final however not least, it is best to at all times understand that Blue Jays are very good birds, and totally different Blue Jays may have totally different personalities and approaches to discovering options. In lots of instances, wooden pecking is likely to be the Blue Jay’s method to deal with the problem that they’ve.

Are Blue Jays Associated Woodpeckers?

Some individuals would possibly suspect that Blue Jays and woodpeckers are associated due to the wooden pecking. Nevertheless, this isn’t true.

Blue Jays belong to the Corvid household, also called “Corvidae”, which is similar household that features crows, ravens, magpies, rooks, coughs, and many others, all of which could find yourself pecking wooden for a similar beforehand talked about causes.

Then again, woodpeckers are a gaggle of birds that belong to the household “Picidae” together with sapsuckers, wrynecks, and piculets.

Creator Word: These birds dig a a lot bigger gap in bushes than those made by Blue Jays as a result of their peaks are optimized for pecking. This pecking is principally for nesting in addition to catching bugs that cover in bushes.

What Do the Holes Made By Blue Jays Look Like?

As beforehand established, Blue Jays and woodpeckers should not associated, and due to this fact, Blue Jays don’t even have the anatomy that offers them the flexibility to dig giant holes.

In reality, most Blue Jays will peck round already fashioned holes fairly than digging a contemporary one like woodpeckers.

For that cause, Blue Jay holes are often very small and shallow, however they’ll range barely in measurement relying on the aim that they had in thoughts whereas pecking.

Tricks to Hold Blue Jays from Pecking at Wooden Round Your Home

Should you discover the pecking conduct annoying and also you need it to cease, there are some issues that you are able to do, relying on the the reason why Blue Jays are doing it within the first place. Let’s have a fast have a look at them:

Deploy a Faux Raptor in Your Yard

One of many best methods to maintain birds out of your yard is to make use of a sensible toy raptor to scare off different birds.

The commonest ones are owls as a result of owls naturally perch on the similar spot for a really very long time.

Put the faux owl in a comparatively excessive spot, similar to your own home roof, and just be sure you change the owl’s location each few days to remain efficient.

Present the Blue Jay with an Simpler Supply for Vitamin

Blue Jays will at all times attempt to discover as a lot diet as potential with out an excessive amount of bother. In the event that they go to the size of pecking wooden, they’re that determined for meals.

For that cause, offering them with a straightforward supply of diet will eradicate the harm and pecking.

Nevertheless, you must preserve the meals away as a result of Blue Jays will spend their day making loud calls to discourage different birds.

Relocate and Use a Completely different Kind of Chicken Feeder in Your Yard

If you wish to preserve the Blue Jay away however you don’t wish to preserve your own home inviting for different yard birds, it is best to look into the kind of your fowl feeder.

Blue Jays wish to perch whereas consuming, so that they’ll at all times favor tray and hopper fowl feeders over a dangling one. Equally, you would possibly wish to shut off the fowl fountain as a result of Blue Jays are often attracted to those fountains for a fast sip.

Use Movement-Sensing Sprinklers to Deter the Birds

Lastly, you’ll be able to attempt to use sprinklers in an effort to deter Blue Jays out of your family. Sprinklers don’t solely spook birds with water however they may also be loud.

Creator Word: Movement-sensing sprinklers will detect the movement of the fowl and spray water when it senses any motion, preserving the fowl away out of your wood constructions and bushes.

Wrap Up

With that mentioned, you now have a short reply to the curious query “why do Blue Jays peck wooden?”. As you’ll be able to see, this can be a comparatively uncommon conduct and it’s unusual for Blue Jays to take action.

For that cause, it’s not straightforward to pinpoint the explanation why they do it. As a substitute, you’ll need to test the encompassing situations for the reason why the fowl is appearing erratically.

You may also wish to test the scale of the holes the fowl makes and whether or not you had any earlier infestations from wood-eating bugs, as this is usually a signal that you just haven’t absolutely addressed the issue.

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