These gruesome photos were sent to me from my sister. Early in the summer, she found a blue jay killing and eating a robin in her backyard in Whitby, Ont. Is this common, are they usually that vicious – Eric Johnson, Grand Bay-WestfieldGruesome indeed – and a bit unusual too. I can’t recall seeing or hearing of a blue jay feeding on an adult bird carcass before, although the corvid family (crows, ravens, jays and magpies) are known for their varied diets that include meat. Ravens of course are routine scavengers and their diet consists largely of meat. The smaller members of the corvid group such as the blue jay regularly predate the nests of songbirds, feeding regularly on eggs or nestlings during the spring and early summer. However I’m really surprised to hear the blue jay actually killed the robin before feeding on the carcass. Based on my experience with jays of different species I would have expected the jay discovered an already-dead robin and began to feed on it, perhaps under pressure to provide food for its own nestlings earlier this year. – Jim Wilson