What Bird Looks Like a Blue Cardinal

Cardinals are known as redbirds or common cardinals. But you may wonder what bird looks like a blue cardinal?

Birds that look like blue cardinals include Stellar’s Jay, Scrub-Jay, Grosbeak, and Blue Jay. However, Stellar’s jay, on the other hand, has a lot in common with cardinals because of its physical structure.

Having that said, there’s a lot more to learn when it comes to knowing what bird looks like a blue cardinal. If you are interested in exploring more and knowing whether a blue cardinal exists or not then keep on reading!

What Kind of Bird Looks Like a Blue Cardinal?

If you’re looking to find out what kind of bird looks like a blue cardinal then we’ve got the answer right here! Blue jays and Northern Cardinals are considered as birds that look like cardinals. Other than this, Stellar’s Jay is also one of them.

However, some birders believe that there is no blue cardinal at all. According to them, these are birds of different species that look like cardinals having blue color. Due to their blue color and a little bit of shape resemblance people usually call them blue cardinals.

Apart from that, here are some of the birds that look very similar to a blue cardinal:

Stellar’s Jay

Stellar’s jay belongs to the Corvidae family. They are found in North America and live in deciduous forests. These birds have a tan-colored body with an elongated crest that stretches from their forehead down to their back.

Furthermore, they also have white patches on the sides of their throats and the outer portion of the wings.

Scrub Jay

The Scrub Jay is also considered a bird that looks like a blue cardinal. This species of bird is a member of the Corvidae family, which is found in North America. it has bluish-grey body with brownish-black wings, tail, and the ends of the crest.

Like Stellar’s jays, these birds also have white patches on the sides of their throats and the outer portion of the wings.

Grosbeak

When it comes to bird that looks like a blue cardinal, Grosbeaks are also one of them. These birds have a mixture of colors including white, black, and gold.

To be more specific these birds have a long crest similar to Stellar’s jays, which extends from their forehead down to their back. Apart from this, they also have pale eyebrow stripes and a small patch of white below the eye.

Blue Jay

Last but not least, if you are wondering what bird looks like a blue cardinal then it’s Blue Jays! Apart from Stellar’s jay, these birds are also spectacular in appearance. These birds have a mixture of black, white and blue feathers covering their body.

In addition to this, you can find spots on the wings and tail of these birds as well which gives them an even more beautiful look!

Is there Such a Bird as a Blue Cardinal?

As mentioned earlier, you can find birds that look like cardinals. However, there’s no kind of blue cardinal exists in real life at all!

Different bird watchers believe that these birds are a combination of different species and they haven’t even thought about the idea of a blue cardinal. These kinds of speechless creatures have a few similarities, but they aren’t one and the same.

Stellar’s Jay vs Northern Cardinal

For instance, Stellar’s Jays have white patches on their throats just like a cardinal. Similar to blue jay, Northern Cardinals have bright red feathers covering their bodies all over.

In addition to this, it is believed that there are no common species that exist in the real world to make a blue cardinal form.

For instance, Stellar’s jay and Northern Cardinal are extremely different from each other. This is because they belong to two different families. On the other hand, Grosbeaks belong to a single family while Scrub Jays do not!

How Can You Tell Them Apart?

As a matter of fact, there are some major differences between these birds that you can notice at first sight. Some of the important things to consider are as follows:

Eating Habits

The most obvious indication that proves birds apart is their eating habits! While Stellar’s jay loves eating insects, Northern Cardinals eat seeds and fruits alone.

On the other hand, Grosbeaks and Scrub Jays feed on seeds, fruits, and insects as well. However, there is a major difference between these birds when it comes to eating habits! While Stellar’s jays feed on relatively small insects like spiders and ants, Northern Cardinals consume larger kinds of insects such as moths.

Reproduction

If we talk about the breeding season, then Stellar’s jays usually start the breeding journey in April and May. They lay three to five eggs at a time and incubate them for about 13 days. On the other hand, Northern Cardinals begin laying eggs during March and they lay between two to four eggs at a time.

If we talk about the incubation period, then it is usually longer in Stellar’s jays. However, Northern Cardinals take around 12 to 14 days to hatch their eggs. The only thing that you need to consider is that if a bird lays more than one egg at a time, then they will have a shorter incubation period!

Similarities

There are some similarities between these birds as well. For instance, both of them have a conical bill that measures around one inch in length. Apart from this, Stellar’s jays and Northern Cardinals also have similar feather colors!

However, there is a major difference between these birds when it comes to their crest size! While Stellar’s Jays have a pretty short and small crest, Northern Cardinals’ crests are longer in size.

How to Attract Stellar’s Jay?

According to scientists, one of the major reasons for migrating is food supply.

For instance, Stellar’s jays usually migrate from southern parts of Alaska during winters just because there aren’t enough seeds. They usually move to Arizona, Texas, and Florida during winters because there are plenty of seeds available in these places!

During summer time, Stellar’s jays prefer food sources that have high protein content. You can attract them if you have lots of sunflower seeds or safflower seeds at your place!

On the other hand, Northern Cardinals prefer food sources that have low oil content. It is believed that they prefer feeding on weed seeds, while Stellar’s jays are drawn to grass seeds!

If you are looking to attract both of these kinds of birds in your garden, then all you need to do is plant safflower or sunflower seeds. You can also opt for a variety of other seeds such as wheat seeds for gaining more diversity in your garden!

Birds can be a great source of information about climate change. While Stellar’s jays usually head south during winters, Northern Cardinals tend to move towards northern states.

In addition to this, their movements also indicate the temperature changes at different parts of the continent.

Last Minute Thoughts

So what bird looks like a blue cardinal? Well, there are some birds that look like blue cardinals but they are not actually cardinals. In fact, according to most people, stellar’s jay and grosbeak show a lot of resemblance to a blue cardinal.

Apart from that, scrub jays and blue jays are also somewhat similar. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article and gained some valuable information! Please let me know if you have anything to ask or any feedback to give.