Northern Cardinal vs Blue Jay: Which one is the most Beloved?

[@ShawninAZ]

Because of Lesley I have to favor the Blue Jays they’re just so amazing! Love their personalities.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

They do seem to be pretty bright!

[@TranquiloBayPanama]

I love them both, but I'm with Leslie the Bird Nerd on this one. I'm rolling with Blue Jays, their color alone makes me happy. Enjoyed Watching.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It's definitely a vibe

[@Ovenbirder]

If there’s a favorite backyard bird for me, it’s definitely the Blue Jay without question! They are so whimsical and fun and gorgeous! Their intricate beauty outdoes the Cardinal but is, I think, often overlooked as some people see them as a bully at the feeders. That’s just their intelligence in action!

[@chriscarlsen2100]

Very well put. Blue Jay's are my favorite as well. I never see them as a bully. I'm always telling everyone, "pay attention" when the blue jay comes into the feeders, they really aren't all graceful about it. They are loud and come in fast. The little birds scatter to get out of its way. They always come back within a few seconds. 😊 I'd take the blue jay a 100x over before I'd take the Mourning Doves... ugh

[@nathanwebb4836]

I really like both of them.

[@mr1pearl]

Lesley is how I found out about you guys I can't miss one of her videos ! I thinks these two birds accept us almost as much as we accept them like a part of the family 👍

[@vernonfridy8416]

Objectively, the Northern Cardinal has the upper hand (or perhaps wing), as the symbol of 7 states and 7 major US sports teams, and is just as popular of an image on Christmas cards as the European Robin is in the UK. The Blue Jay is (unfortunately) far less popular overall by these same metrics; it represents one Canadian province and one Canadian major sports team. The Blue Jay appears to have more popularity in Canada than in the US (LesleytheBirdNerd is based on Canada), but for reasons unknown to me. An obvious reason the Blue Jay is less popular is due to its reputation as an egg-stealing, crop-eating, hawk-mimicking pest and bully (at least in the US). (It must be mentioned that disliking the Blue Jay for eating other birds’ eggs seems to be an example of the pot calling the kettle black; many humans eat the eggs of another species on a more regular basis than the Blue Jay does.) At least most people recognize it as a songbird, but other corvids have these tropes and stereotypes plus some other (often just as bad) ones that jays don’t have, to the point where people (even ornithologically-minded ones) often forget to mention jays when talking about corvids. And don’t get me started on the “difference” between “crows” and “ravens”! Those common names are meaningless and are applied randomly to various members of the Corvus genus, but that’s a tangent.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

A solid analysis!

[@vernonfridy8416]

Personally, I prefer Blue Jays, but that’s just me.

[@cabinbluff]

Dead winter morning and the Cardinal pierces the morning cold! Amazing!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Definitely a bright contrast!

[@WhistlesToAnimals]

I consider myself so lucky to have interacted with different animals. I have never fed a bird from my hand, but there have been birds that knew if they called me I'll deliver peanuts or peanut pieces, and no birds have ever called me more than these two. The individual cardinal I used to know the most was very smart (too many reasons to list). And at least one of the blue jays (I can't tell blue jays apart like I can cardinals) was/were very smart as well. I've never seen a blue jay bully any bird in my area. No matter how many feeders you put out, you will never develop a relationship with animals anywhere near as much as you would if you were to throw food to them, and where you throw it doesn't need to be near you; it could be up to a roof. When you make eye contact with them and they see you are going to treat them, that is when they'll see you as their friend. If you haven't tried and this appeals to you, you can do this too and you'll enjoy them to a whole new level. Both get a 10 from me, so tied.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

That reminds me of an interesting story I read about in which a family was feeding their neighborhood crows and the crows would follow them even when they left the property. One day one of the people lost an earring or something like that and the crow found it and brought it back to them

[@joniangelsrreal6262]

Class act ….Attributing photographic credits to our beloved Ms. Leslie

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Lesley has done a lot to help our channel and we appreciate her!

[@neeleyfolk]

Have both of these coming to my feeding station. Until I started watching Leslie The Bird Nerd, I would have put Blue Jays second but she's changed my mind. Now both are somewhat equal. Jays get put down for being loud but that doesn't seem to be the case in rural areas. Also may have a male Cardinal with two mates hanging out, not sure about that.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It's cool to have both coming to your feeder!

[@carlas123]

Love love love them both! ❤️💙 I’ve always been a Cardinal’s fan but those Blue Jays have so much character. I agree that Lesley will probably change many minds.

[@wen-nz3sk]

Lesley loves her Jay's, I'm going with my singer Mr C and his beauty Mrs. A darling pair with many nests/broods for a few years now. Absolutely adore how he treats her and their young and he is a singer. Northern Cardinal. ❤👍🏽

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Solid choice!

[@Rymbeld]

Collab of the century

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Now we need to get Lesley to go birding with us! lol

[@JackieShipp]

Can’t possibly choose

[@Beryllahawk]

Purely from personal experiences - the Northern Cardinal gets my vote. I am learning a lot of wonderful things about Blue Jays (especially from Leslie the Bird Nerd!!), but I just can't quite let go of the behaviors in the birds that frequent my neighborhood. Like many corvids, if they take a dislike to someone or something, they're GOING to harass it. Well, they don't like the neighborhood cats (not just my own, who mostly stay inside anyway, but ALL the cats), and they seem to get lots of entertainment from chasing and harassing the kitties all over the place, even if the cat in question hasn't once even looked up at them. Though I can understand this is just a species behavior - cats ARE predators, after all - it's still kinda upsetting for me as I'm primarily a cat person, haha. The cardinals avoid the cats handily and never bother with beating them up!

[@Rymbeld]

I'm also a cat person, but we have to admit that cats are predators. The Blue Jays are actually protecting everyone by harassing the predator. I left my kiddies but I know that they probably would kill a birdie bird.

[@vernonfridy8416]

Being the invasive, unnatural predators of songbirds that outdoor cats are, it’s really a good thing that at least one passerine species is turning the tables on them and in turn saving the lives of other birds.

[@MaidenBklyn]

Cardinal was my spark bird, but I absolutely adore Blue Jays for their beauty, intelligence and personality!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It seems cardinals are a lot of peoples spark birds!

[@snowyowl5556]

Blue Jay no doubt about it. #TeamBlueJay

[@mrsNetty34]

I love both. We get a lot of cardinals at our feeders..

[@dixxebell]

Both are so wonderful...I find Jays are more secretive in my area so Im a little bit happier to see one when he comes out in the open..

[@BadgerlandBirding]

They may be slightly more rare as a backyard bird than the cardinal but it may depend on region

[@ShyGuyLoveSongs]

When I was younger and bow hunting from a tree stand I was not a fan of the Blue Jay. They would perch near me and make alarm calls to all. Smart bird for sure. Now I love them at the feeder.

[@Florafauneando]

I have never been to the USA I have not even seen both species, only in pictures, and both are beautiful but I like the cardinal better, red is my favorite color.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

They are beautiful!

[@chriscarlsen2100]

Blue Jays are my favorite. They are so entertaining to watch and have such personalities. 💙

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You're not wrong!

[@gloriadumas1100]

Thank you all so much I watch Leslie too ..I appreciate all your info love my birds ..I can't choose blue Jay's or Cardinals ❤❤

[@barbaracole709]

I love them both. I have lots of both of them in my yard. They both seem to be great parents. I always heard bad things about blue jays’ behavior with bullying other birds, but I have never seen them act like that.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Blue Jays are just very smart and have a lot of different behaviors. They are also huge compared to a lot of other feeder birds so they sometimes get lumped into the bully category

[@JohannaML1]

I vote for both

[@BadgerlandBirding]

That’s fair!

[@lindap9079]

Living in the Pacific Northwest means that both Cardinals and Blue Jays are a special treat to see. I don't have much experience with either species. Many non-birding Washingtonians (including myself before I learned better) call our Stellar's Jay, Blue Jay. If I have to choose, I'd say the Blue Jays are my favorite.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You'll have to come out here and see them first hand!

[@sabath15]

I love both and when i had birds as pets as a kid i always wanted either one of these

[@NNYDebbie]

Team Cardinal but both are beautiful.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It's fun that they are both such different colors!

[@_ethanol_]

Im on team Blue Jay! You cant have a Blue Jay video without Lesly The Bird Nerd.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It’s true!

[@ABirdersParadise]

I definitely favor Blue Jays over Northern Cardinals, but since I don't have a Blue Jay on my life list, and it's been 6 years since I saw a cardinal, I'd love to see both!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You REALLY need to come out here lol

[@PeregrineBF]

For me, jays. I love both (I love all birds), but Jays are easier to make friends with.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

They seem more curious and less skittish in my opinion!

[@stan1027]

Of all the birds I have observed at my bird feeders, taking note of which ones do or do not like each other, I have observed that Blue Jays and Cardinals in particular do not seem to get along or like each other very much. There are other species pairs that don't get along either, but since I have a lot of Blue Jays and Cardinals at my feeders, they are the ones I notice squabbling most often. Also, a Blue Jay that has lost all the feathers on their head, as they sometimes do in late summer, is one of the scariest-looking birds you will ever see!

[@julieprior3126]

Obviously, we see neither in UK, but I would love to see them irl. I think the blue Jay just wins for me because the almost geometric markings seen on their backs when they are still are amazing. But the cardinal does look very cheerful when seen on a brown deciduous tree in the gloom of winter! The most colorful ones I see here are the Robin and the beautiful Goldfinch.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

We'll trade you some Blue Jays for a Blue Tit!

[@ferrisb1588]

I live in Canada, not the US, so I can't speak on experience of what Americans prefer. But I think Cardinals are the major favourite, especially of non-birders. While everyone knows what a Blue Jay is, I find when I mention that I birdwatch to people, one of the first things they say is "Oh, I saw a Cardinal in my backyard! I love them!" or something like that. They're easily recognizable to non-birders, and just about /everyone/ I've met talks about how Cardinals are the souls of their deceased loved ones, or has a story about a Cardinal visiting them after losing a loved one. I'm not exaggerating - everyone but adamant atheists has told me something like this. And there's nothing wrong with that! I think having some touching myths/legends about our environment is great and can encourage people to pay closer attention to nature, so long as it doesn't cause any harm :) As for myself, I must say Blue Jays win (though I am a Lesley fan, so maybe I'm biased). Nothing against Cardinals, but Blue Jays have such big personalities and there are so many interesting aspects about them, like their social structures and vocalizations. I love Cardinals as well, though I find the males always look very angry, lol. As mentioned by Vernon Fridy, Cardinals have way more cultural presence and I would not be surprised if they came out on top of a US-wide favourite songbird survey (for all birds, Bald Eagle would probably take the cake, lol).

[@BadgerlandBirding]

This was a very impressive analysis! Thanks for sharing!

[@douggiek9]

Blue jays are more fun to watch, more personality for sure.

[@Marcuswelby-nx2te]

Both are my favorites both should be in the top 5 perhaps top 3 as well

[@rerolley]

We enjoy watching both species, but Blue Jays are are definitely bullies. They also tend to peel paint off of our house when there is snow on the ground. Project Feeder Watch suggested they were seeking calcium. Putting out egg shells seemed to help protect our house. Cardinals have also caused us problems. One year a male started flying into our windows in spring. Then the female joined in the action. They kept this up for months, long after the breeding season past. They only stopped when lots of other Cardinals came into the feeders in mid-winter. The joys of feeding birds...

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Sounds like you have an all out saga playing out at your feeders lol

[@rerolley]

@@BadgerlandBirding We enjoy our feeding station. We got 2 of the 3 April challenge species watching from our dining room table. White-throated Sparrows showed up on the 22nd and both White-crowned Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers showed up on the 26th. We managed to see lots of Blue-winged Teal at Cheyenne Bottoms in Kansas this last week (not to mention 10's of thousands of shorebirds).

[@dirtyfighters7751]

Gotta go with Mordecai. I’m biased to blue and black.

[@aspieotaku3580]

Blue jays are awesome and very smart.

[@WarblerRidge]

I vote Team Cardinal. I particularly love the female Cardinals. They have a subtle beauty that I think is under rated. I have primarily smaller songbirds in my yard, so the Blue Jays seem like big noisy giants in comparison.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

They have that bright orange bill to grayish brown contrast going on

[@JAGzilla-ur3lh]

The intricate markings on the blue jay's wings is incredible, and their behavior makes them endearing, but for my money they're a little too easily visible to be especially interesting. You can't miss them. Cardinals are a little less conspicuous, creeping around in the undergrowth a lot of the time, so slightly more of an event to see. The fact that males and females have very different coloration adds some visual variety, too.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It can certainly be tough to catch a cardinal out in the open

[@snowyowl5556]

2:33 I am gonna be super lucky then 😂

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Lucky enough to find a WEWA?

[@mflanegan291]

Blue Jays, no question.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Lots of #TeamBlueJay here

[@SevenLefts]

Gotta go with my high school (Columbus, TX) mascot -- the Cardinal. Go Cards!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Can't possibly pick against them then!

[@gijsvermeulen5248]

Hello....i go for the blue jay!!! Personality and intelligent...so they must go for president!!! Greetings Gijs.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I'd vote for a Blue Jay for president. Could bring some fresh idaas to the country

[@adamwarlock3530]

I'm from Hammond Indiana and now live in Mesa Arizona. I've seen both all the time in Indiana. Ive seen one or two cardinals in Arizona and no blue jays.

[@sherryferguson1614]

The Blue Jay is my favorite bird!

[@Duclosxrp]

For me Cardinals. Cause we rarely have them in my part of the country.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I'll send some over!

[@boltondon13]

It depends on time of year they are known to come to my feeders at different times of year

[@BadgerlandBirding]

As well as different times of the day!

[@boltondon13]

@@BadgerlandBirding true

[@Chris_Wolfgram]

Don't know why it ever dawned on me until watching this video.... But here on the left coast, I guess we don't have true "Blue Jays" either ? We have Scrub Jays (in the backyard, and everywhere we look) and Steller's Jays, in the higher elevations, and pine forests. "Eastern Blue Jays" are definitely beautiful. I'd love to photo them someday. I'm curious why Cardinals vary so much on condition, plumpness, clean feathering, and a strong, upright crown ? We don't have Cardinals either :( ... so I was glad when I finally traveled to them, that I found a really beautiful, dominant male in perfect condition, for some ringer shots ;) Back yard birds for many, but a BIG deal to me :) Oh, I almost forgot to say, but my pick is the Cardinal :)

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Yeah I suppose that’s true about the East and West Jays! As for the Cardinals, I’m not sure, but they do seem to vary in condition a bit. Molting seems like it can be hard on them sometimes.

[@77TOWERS]

Great face to face, I’m team Cardinal, I think the Blue Jay is a little bit of a bully GO Cardinals (the birds)

[@BadgerlandBirding]

They can definitely dominate a bird feeder

[@operazanotaijin]

At 0:56 that bluejay is THICC!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

😂

[@nickpaarlberg73]

Blue jay all the way!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

#teamBlueJay

[@Zippsterman]

Missed the stream, but I got my pipe smoking bluejay and I love it

[@branttrujillo17]

Mordecia and margret

[@raiders345]

Blue Jays. Definitely blue jays, for me!

[@magooda5599]

Cardinal for me by a hair, the female's colors are what tips my choice.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Interesting!

[@moriahsene1010]

I never seen a blue bird before but I seen a red bird before

[@TheDarktater]

While I do enjoy Blue Jays the Northern Cardinal is the winner here.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Either one is a good pick!

[@desimonium]

Ok!…Ok!…Blue Jays!….Blue Jays!…LET’S…PLAY…BALL! 😎

[@SelenaPierce-gd1rf]

Northern Cardinals Bluejays !!!!!!!!!!!

[@Marcuswelby-nx2te]

Fall classic next year blue jays vs cardinals

[@jacksonbrunner2179]

¿Por qué no los dos?

[@BookTimeWithRyan]

Bluejay

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I appreciate the decisiveness

[@BookTimeWithRyan]

@@BadgerlandBirding they’re the mascot of my daughters new school.

[@NoNameNo.5]

Blue Jay….all day

[@erikaerika7788]

Cardinal ,,!!! My bluejays today stole a bunch of peanurs and left the titmouse hungry 🤨

[@BadgerlandBirding]

How rude! :)

[@realqg23]

Cardinals are way cooler

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Why?