Eurasian jay

{{Short description|Species of bird}} {{Speciesbox | fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Gelasian|present|ref={{efn|Fossil remains are known from between 1.81 and 0.78 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Garrulus glandarius |url=https://www.mindat.org/taxon-5229493.html |date=21 Aug 2025|access-date=17 Sep 2025 |website=www.mindat.org |language=en}}</ref>}}}} | image = Garrulus glandarius 1 Luc Viatour.jpg | image_caption = Nominate subspecies in Belgium | image2 = Garrulus glandarius iphigenia.ogg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |year=2017 |title=''Garrulus glandarius'' |amends=2016 |article-number=e.T103723684A118779004 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103723684A118779004.en |access-date=13 March 2022}}</ref> | genus = Garrulus | species = glandarius | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = 33 (in eight groups) - see text | range_map = Garrulus glandarius distribution.jpg | range_map_caption = Range | synonyms = *''Corvus glandarius'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}} }}

The '''Eurasian jay''' ('''''Garrulus glandarius'''''), also known simply as the '''jay''' without any epithets in the United Kingdom and Ireland, is a species of passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae. 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 Eurasian jay is a woodland bird that occurs over a vast region from western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian subcontinent and farther to the eastern seaboard of Asia and down into south-east Asia. Across this vast range, several distinct racial forms have evolved which look different from each other, especially when comparing forms at the extremes of its range.

==Taxonomy and systematics== The Eurasian jay was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under the binomial name ''Corvus glandarius''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=106 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727011 }}</ref> Linnaeus specified the locality as "Europa" but this was restricted to Sweden by Ernst Hartert in 1903.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Hartert | first=Ernst | author-link=Ernst Hartert | year=1903 | title=Die Vögel der paläarktischen Fauna | volume=1 | language=German | location=Berlin | publisher=R. Friedländer und Sohn | page=29 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14029818 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Greenway | editor2-first=James C. Jr | year=1962 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=15 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=229 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14485602 }}</ref> The Eurasian jay is now one of three species placed in the genus ''Garrulus'' that was established in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés | volume=1 | language=fr, la | page=30 | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36010428 }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2021 | title=Crows, mudnesters, birds-of-paradise | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/crows/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=5 May 2021 }}</ref> The genus name ''Garrulus'' is a Latin word meaning "chattering", "babbling" or "noisy". The specific epithet ''glandarius'' is Latin meaning "of acorns".<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n171/mode/1up 171], [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n173/mode/1up 173] }}</ref>

Eight racial groups (33 subspecies in total) were recognised by Steve Madge & Hilary Burn in 1994:<ref name=Madge1994/> * the nominate group (nine European races), with a streaked {{Birdgloss|crown}}. * the ''cervicalis'' group (three races in North Africa), with a rufous nape, grey {{Birdgloss|mantle}}, very pale head sides, and a streaked or black crown. * the ''atricapillus'' group (four races in Middle East, Crimea & Turkey), with a uniform mantle & nape, black crown and very pale face. * the race ''hyrcanus'' (Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests of Iran), small with black forecrown and broadly streaked hindcrown. * the ''brandtii'' group (four races in Siberia and northern Japan), with a streaked crown, reddish head, dark iris and grey mantle. * the ''leucotis'' group (two races in south-east Asia), with no white in the wing, a white forecrown, black hindcrown and much white on the sides of the head. * the ''bispecularis'' group (six races in the Himalayan region), with an unstreaked rufous crown, and no white wing-patch. * the ''japonicus'' group (four races in the southern Japanese islands), with a large white wing-patch, blackish face and scaled crown.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Birdlife International split the Eurasian jay into three species. The subspecies ''G. g. leucotis'' becomes the white-face jay (''Garrulus leucotis'')<ref>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |year=2024 |title=''Garrulus leucotis'' |article-number=e.T103726378A264403022 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T103726378A264403022.en}}</ref> and the ''bispecularis'' group containing six subspecies becomes the plain-crowned jay (''Garrulus bispecularis'').<ref>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |year=2025 |title=''Garrulus bispecularis'' |article-number=e.T103726922A154687741 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T103726922A154687741.en}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px"> Eurasian Jay Dugalbitta Chamoli Uttarakhand India 13.06.2013.jpg|''G. g. bispecularis''<br />Uttarakhand, India Garrulus glandarius IL Jerusalem.JPG|''G. g. atricapillus''<br />Jerusalem, Israel Cyprus jay (Garrulus glandarius glaszneri).jpg|''G. g. glaszneri''<br />Troodos Mountains, Cyprus </gallery>

==Description== thumb|Eurasian Jay in a tree

The Eurasian jay is a relatively small corvid, similar in size to a western jackdaw (''Coloeus monedula'') with a length of {{cvt|34|-|35|cm}} and a wingspan of {{cvt|52|-|58|cm}}.{{sfn|Cramp|1994|p=7}} The nominate race has light rufous brown to a pinkish brown body plumage. The whitish throat is bordered on each side by a prominent black moustache stripe. The forehead and crown are whitish with black stripes. The rump is white. The complex colouring on the upper surface of the wing includes black and white bars and a prominent bright blue patch with fine black bars. The tail is mainly black.<ref name=Madge1994/>

===Voice=== right|Singing of Eurasian jay, ParisThe most characteristic call is a harsh, rasping screech that is used upon sighting various predators and as an advertising call. The jay is well known for its mimicry, often sounding so like a different species that it is difficult to distinguish its true identity unless the bird is seen. It will imitate the calls of birds of prey such as the mew of the common buzzard and the cackle of the Eurasian goshawk.<ref>{{ cite book | last1=Svensson | first1=Lars | last2=Mullarney | first2=Killian | last3=Zetterström | first3=Dan | year=2009 | title=Collins Bird Guide | edition=2nd | location=London | publisher=HarperCollins | isbn=978-0-00-726814-6 | page=362 }}</ref>{{sfn|Cramp|1994|pp=19-20}}

==Distribution and habitat== A member of the widespread jay group, it inhabits mixed woodland, particularly with oaks, and is a habitual acorn hoarder. In recent years, the bird has begun to migrate into urban areas, possibly as a result of continued erosion of its woodland habitat. Before humans began planting the trees commercially on a wide scale, Eurasian jays were the main source of movement and propagation for the European oak (''Q. robur''), each bird having the ability to spread more than a thousand acorns each year. Eurasian jays will also bury the acorns of other oak species, and have been cited by the National Trust as a major propagator of the largest population of holm oak (''Q. ilex'') in Northern Europe, situated in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.<ref>{{cite web|title=The holm oaks of Ventnor Downs|url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ventnor-downs/features/the-holm-oaks-of-ventnor-downs|website=National Trust|access-date=29 May 2018}}</ref> Jays have been recorded carrying single acorns as far as 20&nbsp;km, and are credited with the rapid northward spread of oaks following the last ice age.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Howe |first1=H.F. |last2=Smallwood |first2=J. |title=Ecology of seed dispersal |journal=Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics |date=1982 |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=201–228 |doi=10.1146/annurev.es.13.110182.001221 |bibcode=1982AnRES..13..201H }}</ref>

==Behaviour and ecology== ===Breeding=== Eurasian jays normally first breed when two years of age, although they occasionally breed when only one year. Both sexes build the nest which is usually placed in a fork or on a branch of a tree close to the main trunk at a height of {{cvt|2|-|5|m}} above the ground. Very occasionally the nest is located on a building. The nest has a base of twigs {{cvt|3|-|15|mm}} in diameter and a lining of thinner twigs, roots, grass, moss and leaves. The eggs are laid daily, normally early in the morning. The clutch is 3–6 eggs which are pale green to pale olive brown and are covered with fine darker speckles. They sometimes have brown or black streaks concentrated at the broader end. The eggs are {{cvt|31.3|x|23.0|mm}} and weigh around {{cvt|8.5|g}}. They are incubated by the female and hatch after 16–19 days. While the female is on the nest the male brings her food. Both parents feed and care for the young which fledge after 19–23 days. The parents continue to feed the fledgelings until they are 6–8 weeks of age. Only a single brood is raised each year.{{sfn|Cramp|1994|pp=23–25}}

The maximum recorded age is 16 years and 9 months for a bird in Skelton, York, United Kingdom, that was ringed in 1966 and found dead in 1983.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Robinson | first1=R.A. | last2=Leech | first2=D.I. | last3=Clark | first3=J.A. | date=2020 | title=Longevity records for Britain & Ireland in 2019 | publisher=British Trust for Ornithology | url=https://app.bto.org/ring/countyrec/results2019/longevity.htm#15390 | access-date=11 May 2021 | archive-date=30 September 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930050122/https://app.bto.org/ring/countyrec/results2019/longevity.htm#15390 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=European Longevity Records |url=https://euring.org/data-and-codes/longevity-list?page=5 |publisher=Euring |access-date=11 May 2021 }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">

File:Jay Nest 13-05-12 (7190059330).jpg|Nest with eggs File:Juvenile jay on apartment step.jpg|Juvenile Eurasian jay in South Korea Garrulus glandarius atricapillus MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.170.18.jpg|''Garrulus glandarius atricapillus'' - MHNT </gallery>

===Diet=== thumb|Jay eating a walnut

Feeding in both trees and on the ground, it takes a wide range of invertebrates including many pest insects, acorns (oak seeds, which it buries for use during winter),<ref name=Burton2002/> beech and other seeds, fruits such as blackberries and rowan berries, young birds and eggs, bats, and small rodents. Like most species, the jay's diet changes with the seasons but is noteworthy for its prolific caching of food—especially oak acorns and beechnuts—for winter and spring. While caching occurs throughout the year, it is most intense in the autumn.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Clayton | first1=N.S.| last2=Mellor | first2=R.| last3=Jackson| first3=A. | year=1996 | title=Seasonal patterns of food storing in the Jay ''Garrulus glandarius''| journal=Ibis | volume=138 | issue=2 | pages=250–255 | doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1996.tb04336.x }}</ref>

===Health=== {{For|more information|Anting (behavior)}}

In order to keep its plumage free from parasites, it lies on top of anthills with spread wings and lets its feathers be sprayed with formic acid.

===Intelligence=== Similar to other corvids, Eurasian jays have been reported to plan for future needs.<ref name=Cheke2011/> Male Eurasian jays also take into account the desires of their partner when sharing food with her as a courtship ritual<ref name=Ostojic/> and when protecting food items from thieving conspecifics.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Ostojić | first1=L. | last2=Legg | first2=E.W. | last3=Brecht | first3=K.F. | last4=Lange | first4=F. | last5=Deininger | first5=C. | last6=Mendl | first6=M. | last7=Clayton | first7=N.S. | date=2017 | title=Current desires of conspecific observers affect cache-protection strategies in California scrub-jays and Eurasian jays | journal=Current Biology | volume=27 | issue=2 | pages=R51–R53 | doi=10.1016/j.cub.2016.11.020 | pmid=28118584 | pmc=5266788 | bibcode=2017CBio...27..R51O | doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Notes == {{noteslist}}

== References == === Footnotes === {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=Burton2002>{{cite book |last1=Burton |first1=Maurice |last2=Burton |first2=Robert |date=2002 |title=International Wildlife Encyclopedia |edition=3rd |volume=18 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |location=New York |oclc=779008612 |url-access=subscription |page=2457 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/120344869/international-wildlife-encyclopedia |access-date=11 October 2012 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307224356/https://www.questia.com/read/120344869/international-wildlife-encyclopedia }}</ref>

<ref name=Cheke2011>{{cite journal |last1=Cheke |first1=L. |last2=Clayton |first2=N. |year=2011 |title=Eurasian jays (''Garrulus glandarius'') overcome their current desires to anticipate two distinct future needs and plan for them appropriately |journal=Biology Letters |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2011.0909 |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=171–175 |pmid=22048890 |pmc=3297405}}</ref>

<ref name=Madge1994>{{cite book |last1=Madge |first1=Steve |author-link1=Steve Madge |last2=Burn |first2=Hilary |author-link2=Hilary Burn |year=1994 |title=Crows and Jays |isbn=978-0-7136-3999-5 |series=Helm Identification Guides |pages=95–97}} (although the text accompanying plate 11 states "some 35 races", the species account on page 95 states that 33 are recognised, and the sum of the numbers of races listed for each group is 33, indicating that the figure accompanying the plate is an error)</ref>

<ref name=Ostojic>{{cite journal |last1=Ostojić |first1=L. |last2=Shaw |first2=R. |last3=Cheke |first3=L. |last4=Clayton |first4=N. |year=2013 |title=Evidence suggesting that desire-state attribution may govern food sharing in Eurasian jays |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=110 |issue=10 |pages=4123–4128 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1209926110 |pmid=23382187 |pmc=3593841|doi-access=free }}</ref> }}

=== Sources cited === {{refbegin}} * {{Cite book |editor1-last=Cramp |editor1-first=Stanley |editor1-link=Stanley Cramp |display-editors=etal |year=1994 |chapter=''Garrulus glandarius'' Jay |title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic |volume=VIII: ''Crows to Finches'' |place=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=7–31 |isbn=978-0-19-854679-5 }} {{refend}}

==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * {{cite journal |last1=Cheke |first1=Lucy G. |last2=Bird |first2=Christopher D. |last3=Clayton |first3=Nicola S. |year=2011 |title=Tool-use and instrumental learning in the Eurasian jay (''Garrulus glandarius'') |journal=Animal Cognition |doi=10.1007/s10071-011-0379-4 |pmid=21249510 |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=441–455 |s2cid=9123984 }} {{refend}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Garrulus glandarius}} * [https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/jay The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) - Birds & Wildlife - Jay] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010317/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/406_JayGglandarius.pdf Ageing and sexing by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze] (PDF; 1.1 MB) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20200205235628/http://www.ornithos.de/Ornithos/Feather_Collection/Garrulus_glandarius/Garrulus_glandarius.htm Feathers of Eurasian jay (''Garrulus glandarius'')] * [http://www.mikosanat.com/kus/alakarga/alakarga.html Jay photos and information] {{In lang|tr}} * {{BirdLife|22705764|Garrulus glandarius}} * {{InternetBirdCollection|eurasian-jay-garrulus-glandarius}} * {{VIREO|eurasian+jay}} * {{IUCN_Map| 22705764 |Garrulus glandarius}} * {{field guide birds of the world|Garrulus glandarius}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20190207011213/http://www.arkive.org/jay/garrulus-glandarius/ Eurasian jay media] from ARKive

{{Corvidae|1}} {{Taxonbar |from=Q25354}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Garrulus Category:Birds of Eurasia Category:Birds of the Himalayas Category:Birds described in 1758 Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus