The Cornell Lab Bird Academy › Discussion Groups › Joy of Birdwatching › Activities: Helping Birds in Your World

    • Donna
      Participant
      Chirps: 11
      Good Morning!  I had a quick question.  I noticed that when I put food out for the wild birds in my backyard that the Blue Jays have mimicked the sound of a red tailed hawk.  It is a shorter sound than the hawks, but it seems to scare the smaller birds away.  This is the first year that I ever noticed Blue Jays making this type of sound.  Is this common?
      • Emily
        Participant
        Chirps: 5
        Hey, Donna! I live in the Pacific Northwest, and our Steller's Jays do this, too.
      • Lee Ann van Leer
        Moderator
        Chirps: 117
        Yes. Blue Jays commonly mimic calls of various species of hawk calls.