Do Blue Jays Mimic Hawks? Blue Jay Calls Explained

Which hawks do blue jays imitate?

The two hawks that blue jays copy most often are both common in eastern North America:

• Red-shouldered hawk. Its call is a loud, repeated “kee-ah, kee-ah”, rising then falling. This is the hawk call blue jays imitate most often, and jay versions can be almost identical.
• Red-tailed hawk. The red-tailed hawk gives a hoarse, descending scream, “kee-eeee-arr”. It is so dramatic that films and television often use it as the voice of eagles. Blue jays copy this scream as well.

Jays may imitate other birds of prey too, but the red-shouldered and red-tailed hawk calls are by far the most familiar.

Why do blue jays mimic hawks?

Scientists have not proven a single answer, and it is possible that jays use the calls for more than one reason. The three main ideas are:

1. To warn other jays. Blue jays are famous for mobbing hawks and owls. A jay that sees a hawk may give a hawk-like call to tell its family and neighbors exactly what kind of danger is around, rather than just a general alarm.

2. To test whether a hawk is nearby. A jay calling like a hawk might be checking for a reaction. If a real hawk is perched unseen nearby, it may answer or move, revealing itself before the jay flies into the open.

3. To scare other birds from food. The most popular backyard theory is that jays use hawk calls to clear a feeder. Smaller birds scatter when they hear a hawk, leaving the food to the jay. Many people report this, but it has not been well tested, and jays also give hawk calls when no food is around.

Other ideas include using the calls in social interactions among jays, or simple vocal learning: jays, like other members of the crow family, keep learning new sounds throughout their lives.

Other blue jay calls

The hawk imitation is only one part of a large vocabulary. Blue jays make a wide range of sounds, and individual birds have their own calling styles.

The classic jay call is the sound most people know. It is a loud, almost gull-like scream that can carry a long way through woods. Other birds and squirrels recognize it as an alarm, and a jay’s scream can make a whole backyard go quiet.

The bell call, also called the pumphandle or “queedle” call, is surprisingly musical for such a noisy bird. A jay often bobs up and down while giving it.

Mobbing: when jays gang up on hawks

Hawk mimicry makes the most sense alongside the blue jay’s habit of mobbing. When jays find a hawk, an owl, a cat or a snake, they gather around it, scream and dive toward it until it leaves. Their calls draw in other jays and often other small birds, such as chickadees and titmice.

Mobbing protects jay nests from predators and probably teaches young jays which animals are dangerous. Since some hawks, especially Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks, do hunt jays, knowing where a hawk is matters a great deal to them.

Can blue jays talk?

Blue jays belong to the crow family, Corvidae, whose members are among the best mimics of all birds. Hand-raised and captive blue jays have learned to imitate human words, whistles and other household sounds. Wild jays mostly copy hawks, but some imitate other sounds from their surroundings.

This is part of the wider intelligence of corvids. Their relatives, such as the American crow and the common raven, can also learn and reproduce human speech and other sounds.

How to tell a jay from a real hawk

Because the imitations are so accurate, the surest way to tell is to look. A few clues help:

• Real red-shouldered hawks usually call many times in a row, often while circling or from a high perch, and especially in late winter and spring.
• A jay’s imitation often comes from within the tree canopy rather than the open sky, may be a little shorter, and is often followed by ordinary jay calls.
• If the “hawk” call comes from a feeder area full of jays, the caller is very likely a jay.

Listening to recordings of both species side by side is the best way to learn the differences.