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Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) — photo 1 of 5
© Luc Viatour CC BY-SA 3.0

Crows and jays · Perching birds

Eurasian Jay

Garrulus glandarius

Year-round

Voice

Call

Gobi

0:11

Alarm

Christian Kahle

0:12

Call

Lionel Triboulin

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How to recognize it

  • Jackdaw-sized, 34–35 cm

  • Pinkish brown body, black tail

  • White rump, bright blue wing panel with black bars

  • Harsh rasping call, often mimics other species

About the species

The Eurasian Jay moves through woods and older parks with a restless, alert manner. Its warm brown body, black-and-blue wing patch, and black tail are the parts people tend to notice first.

It is often wary and quiet in the breeding season, then much easier to notice the rest of the year. Its call is a harsh screech, and it can also copy other species so closely that the imitation may be more obvious than the jay itself.

Oak woods matter to it, and it spends much of the year collecting and hiding acorns for later. It also takes seeds, fruits, insects, and other small animals, and in many places stays in the area through winter.

Did you know?

  • Plants oaks without meaning to

    The acorns the jay forgets sprout as young oaks the next spring — without meaning to, the bird plants oaks far from the parent trees, helping the forest spread.

  • Good memory for stashed

    The jay hauls acorns from oak woods into neighbouring pine stands and tucks them under thick moss or fallen needles, fixing the exact spot of each cache in memory at once.

  • Caring partner

    A male Eurasian Jay watches which grubs his mate has been eating, then brings her exactly the ones she hasn't tried — reading her shifting tastes.

Where to find

  • In mature parks with old oaks and limes, the Eurasian Jay is often heard before it’s seen — a sharp, rasping call from the canopy.

  • Along quiet pond edges and canal banks, it may drop down at dawn to forage right at the waterline.

  • In autumn on lawns under big trees, look for short hopping runs as it caches acorns in the grass.

  • In older courtyards and tree-lined squares, a sudden glide between crowns can flash the blue wing patch.

You might also see

Sources