Female Blue Jays: A Complete Guide

Bluebirds are easy to spot. Their vibrant blue plumage, black trimmed with white spots, sets them apart from other birds—even among corvids. While picking a blue jay from among other birds may be simple, distinguishing males from females is another matter entirely.

Female bluebirds have the same plumage as the males, and it can be difficult to tell the two apart at first glance. Fortunately, females exhibit different nesting, feeding, and courtship behaviors than males.

Familiarity with the behavior of female and male blue jays can help you distinguish the two. We discuss these behavioral differences and more in the following guide to female blue jays.

Male and female bluebirds have the same plumage, which means you often can’t tell them apart by looking at them

How do you know if a bluebird is male or female?

Male and female bluebirds are not sexually dimorphic, which means there is no difference in their plumage. Males tend to be larger than females, but the difference is so small that it’s hard to tell the two apart strictly on the basis of size.

The best way to tell if a bluebird is male or female is to observe their behavior. Females exhibit different behaviors than males, especially during breeding season.

What does a female blue jay look like?

A female blue jay has a white face, chin, and throat, with a black edge that extends to the chest. She also has a thin black eye line across her face, black across the bridge of her nose with a thick, black beak. The head, crest and back of the female are dark blue-gray, while the feathers on the wings and tail are bright blue with black stripes and white spots. The underside (thorax, belly, and under the tail) is off-white. Her legs and feet are black and her eyes are dark brown.

Female juvenile bluebirds are similar in appearance to adults, but appear fluffier. They’re also less clearly marked. Additionally, their plumage is generally gray in color. Like adults, male and female juveniles are nearly identical to each other.

blue bird calling from the tree

Are female bluebirds bigger than males?

Female bluebirds are usually smaller than males. However, it is difficult to distinguish the two based on size alone. Looking at how men behave differently than women is the best way to tell them apart.

behavioral difference

Female bluebirds look strikingly similar to male bluebirds. Fortunately, the two sexes exhibit distinct singing, nesting, foraging, and courtship behaviors. Otherwise, it’s nearly impossible to tell them apart based on observation. We’ll take a closer look at these differences in the next sections.

Blue Jay Among Cherry Blossom Trees in Spring, Indiana

sing and call

The songs and calls of blue jays fall into five categories – jeer calls, pumphandle calls, paired contact calls, rattles and other sounds. The “Other Voices and Calls” category is used as an umbrella term to classify calls that do not fall into the first four categories.

Females make some situational calls that males do not. For example, begging is an intra-pair call used primarily by adult females (and chicks).it started as giggling sound, move to cluck cluck cluck

Rattles are another sound usually made by females. They often do this with flocks in the spring and fall, when there is some excitement in the flock. Rattle calls can also signal the approach of other jays or potential predators.

Females also use peep calls – a series of high-pitched but soft whistles before or during spawning. This call is usually made by a male foraging nearby. Males rarely, if ever, use this title.

bluebird eating on tree

nesting and feeding

Female birds generally choose nesting sites. You may observe her make her final selection by rubbing her breasts where she will nest. Both male and female jays gather nesting materials; however, the female does most of the building work, while the male passes her twigs and plant matter.

Once the female lays her eggs, she hatches them—the males don’t participate in the hatching. Instead, he provides food for his mate. The female remains in the den – leaving only briefly to stretch, groom, defecate, or feed from the male.

During the first week or two after the eggs hatch, the female stays with the chicks, incubating them, while the male delivers meals to his mate and chicks. After the brooding period is over, the female begins to forage, and both parents bring food to the young. Overall, males seem to do most of the feeding.

Bluebird perched on a pole

courtship

Bluebirds typically mate for life. Like many other birds, males put on a courtship display when a female chooses a mate. Bluebird courtship may involve several males displaying and courting one or more females. During this process, the female is easily identifiable – she will sit back and watch, or be chased by one or more males as she moves around.

Can female bluebirds raise offspring alone?

It is extremely unlikely that a woman will successfully raise her child alone. Females rarely leave the nest during incubation and brooding. She relies on her mates to bring food. If something happens to the male during these two periods, the female will need to forage for herself and her young. Leaving the nest for extended periods of time while the chicks are in such a vulnerable state can result in the death of the chicks.

On the other hand, if a female loses a mate after the brooding period is over, she is more likely to produce successful offspring. After a week or two, the pups are much less vulnerable and don’t need constant care. Even with a mate, a female at this stage will often begin to leave her young while foraging.