# What kind of bird kills Bluejays?



## REEDRELLIK

I was in my yard today and a fatally injured Bluejay fell out of the tree. I saw 2 other bluejays dead in the road in front of my house in the last couple of weeks. 

I looked up in the tree and there were a couple other birds in the tree, both bigger than bluejays. One looked like a giant red-winged blackbird, WAY bigger than the normal ones i see, and there were a couple that had dove colored breast but were twice the size of a bluejay. I couldnt see them very well. The bird flopped for a few minuets and expired.

Anyone ever see anything like this?


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## wally-eye

Observed a few being taken by hawks before...... A few months ago watched one glide down and pick up a jay in the yard and flew off with it.......for a little bit though.....about 50 yards later the flapping jay either flapped his way free or was dropped by the hawk......jay headed for the deep woods....:lol:

But I have observed dead jays or whats left of them in the yard in the morning......I'm thinking owls at night picked them off branches.....


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## fathom this

Coopers hawk. They set in the tree in my or a neighbors back yard
and watch the bird feeders. When given a chance they swoop down and snatch a bird or they will chase one down also. I have a picture of one not 10 feet from my computer desk. ( on a tree branch outside my window ) They are great birders.


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## Crowhunter

It could be westnile .Bud


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## jackbob42

REEDRELLIK said:


> .......... I saw 2 other bluejays dead in the road in front of my house in the last couple of weeks.


What kind of bird?
Probably a Thunderbird !


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## Ephemeroptera

fathom this said:


> Coopers hawk. They set in the tree in my or a neighbors back yard
> and watch the bird feeders. When given a chance they swoop down and snatch a bird or they will chase one down also. I have a picture of one not 10 feet from my computer desk. ( on a tree branch outside my window ) They are great birders.


Second that. Was eating lunch with the kids and watching a blue jay eating seed out the back window. Saw a flash and an explosion of blue and white feathers. Cooper's Hawk had pinned the jay to the ground.

Got about five seconds' look before he was gone. Beautiful.

But I don't know that the Cooper's Hawk would leave the jay.

Mark


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## REEDRELLIK

Ephemeroptera said:


> Second that. Was eating lunch with the kids and watching a blue jay eating seed out the back window. Saw a flash and an explosion of blue and white feathers. Cooper's Hawk had pinned the jay to the ground.
> 
> Got about five seconds' look before he was gone. Beautiful.
> 
> But I don't know that the Cooper's Hawk would leave the jay.
> 
> Mark


The birds stayed in the tree even when i went in and never took the bird
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## chinamigarden

Its possible that a hawk got to those birds, but they would not leave them dead, they would take them and eat them. However it is possible that the bird you saw fall out of the tree had gotten hit by a hawk and then flew off, only to die from its injuries later. Both coopers and sharp shinned hawks are big enough to take a jay. 

Another thought would be that the birds you saw were hit by a car. It happens pretty often. And again one could have survived long enough to fly into your tree only to succumb to his injuries later.


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## Whitetail Freak

I'll say sharpshined hawk also, very common in rockford area. My mom has them visit her feeders daily. They are bad to the bone.


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## JimP

fathom this said:


> Coopers hawk. They set in the tree in my or a neighbors back yard
> and watch the bird feeders. When given a chance they swoop down and snatch a bird or they will chase one down also. I have a picture of one not 10 feet from my computer desk. ( on a tree branch outside my window ) They are great birders.


:lol: The Hawks are using bait piles now? :lol:


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## Banditto

we have coopers hawks in our neighborhood. I heard what sounded like a red tailed hawk a week ago... my dog was in the yard so I quickly put her inside.


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## fathom this

Banditto said:


> we have coopers hawks in our neighborhood. I heard what sounded like a red tailed hawk a week ago... my dog was in the yard so I quickly put her inside.


 Get a regular size DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


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## [email protected]

If the bird fell down and expired then I second the west nile virus. Especially if you found a couple more dead ones. Same experience we had and the health department confirmed that it was west nile. Couldn't happen to a nicer bird. That'll teach em' for being meanies at the bird feeders!


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## JimP

Like goldfish, we now have "Feeder Dogs" :lol:


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## M1Garand

A bird hawk won't kill them and leave the body. I get a sharpie around here now and then grabbing birds around my feeder and caught it one year:










The perch he sat and had lunch:










And all that was left, the beak and small piece of intestine (besides feathers):










I'd also lean towards a disease.


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