Eurasian Jay

The Eurasian jay is a relatively small corvid, similar in size to a jackdaw, 34–35 cm long with a wingspan of 52–58 cm. It has pinkish-brown plumage with a black stripe on each side of a whitish throat, a bright blue panel on the upper wing and a black tail; the forehead and crown are whitish with black stripes. The nominate race has light rufous to pinkish-brown body plumage. It occurs over a vast region from western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian subcontinent and on to the eastern seaboard of Asia and south-east Asia (Wikipedia, general species account).

It inhabits mixed woodland, particularly with oaks, and is a habitual acorn hoarder; jays have been recorded carrying single acorns as far as 20 km. The most characteristic call is a harsh, rasping screech used on sighting predators and as an advertising call, and it imitates raptors such as the common buzzard and the Eurasian goshawk. SoIB 2023 rates it a Low conservation priority, a resident and altitudinal migrant of forest with a Moderate range of about 75,500 km² (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).