Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Jay Facts
| Size | 12-14 inches (32-35 cm) |
| Speed | Unknown |
| Weight | 5-6 ounces (140-190 grams) |
| Lifespan | 16-17 years |
| Food | Acorns, insects, fruit, eggs, small vertebrates |
| Predators | Eagle-owl, marten, cat |
| Distribution | Europe, North Africa, Asia |
| Habitat | Open deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests |
| Order | Passerines |
| Family | Corvids |
| Scientific name | Garrulus glandarius |
| Characteristics | Corvid with bright blue wing patch, imitates sounds |
Main Characteristics
The Eurasian jay is a member of the crow family, just like the magpie and the raven. Its most striking features include the blue shimmering feathers on its wings and its distinctive harsh call that sounds like ripping cloth. It has the ability to mimic other birds, such as the common buzzard, as well as everyday sounds. Additionally, it is known for its high intelligence.
Species
There are nearly 70 subspecies of the Eurasian jay, and they all have slightly different appearances. For instance, one subspecies features a black "crown" on its head, while another has a black face.
Distribution and Habitat
The Eurasian Jay is native to Central Europe, thriving in open deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests. In Northern Europe, it is more commonly found in pine and spruce forests. In Southern Europe, it also inhabits dry woodlands and olive groves. This bird is often spotted near human settlements, such as in parks and gardens, too.
Way of Life
The Eurasian jay is active during the day. In the fall, it spends about 10-11 hours each day foraging for food to store for the winter. You usually hear it before you see it, as it often makes a harsh, rasping sound.
Anatomy and Appearance
Size and Weight
Eurasian jays are roughly the size of city pigeons. They measure about 12-14 inches (32-35 cm) in body length and have a wingspan of 20-22 inches (52-58 cm). Their weight is 5-6 ounces (140-190 grams).
Plumage
The Eurasian jay is easily identifiable by its distinctive plumage, which ranges from pink to reddish-brown. Its black and white wings feature striking blue-black banded, iridescent feathers. On each side of its white throat there is a black moustache stripe.
Throat Pouch
The Eurasian jay has a pouch-like skin extension on its neck, known as a throat pouch. It can store 5-10 acorns in this pouch, and often carries an extra acorn in its beak as well.
Female or Male – What's the Difference?
Female and male Eurasian jays look identical, as their plumage is the same color for both.
Eurasian Jay or Northern Nutcracker – What's the Difference?
The Eurasian jay is sometimes confused with the northern nutcracker. From a distance, they may appear similar, but they're actually quite different in color. The nutcracker is brown rather than reddish-pink and features white spots all over its body. Additionally, it lacks the blue feathers found in the jay's wings.
Diet
Eurasian jays primarily eat acorns, but that's not all! In the summer, they also enjoy caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, fruits, eggs, and small vertebrates. They even eat carrion. This makes them omnivores. During the winter, their diet mainly consists of acorns, beech nuts, and other types of nuts. They gather these in the fall and stash them in the ground as a winter supply.
Behavior
Gathering Winter Supplies
In autumn, the Eurasian jay starts gathering acorns for the winter. It embarks on what are known as foraging flights, spending about 10-11 hours each day searching for food. During these flights, it can cover distances of 3-5 miles (5-8 km) to ensure it collects all the acorns in the area. Fortunately, it can carry 5-10 acorns at a time in its throat pouch. Next time you go for a walk, try collecting ten acorns and hold them in one hand—that’s quite a haul for a bird! A jay collects 24-33 pounds (11-15 kg) of acorns in a single year. Over its lifetime, it can gather around 25,000-30,000 acorns.
Anting
When a Eurasian jay has pesky parasites on its skin, it employs a clever strategy. The bird perches right on top of an ant hill, spreads its wings, and starts to press and rub against the ground. The ants aren't pleased with this intrusion. To drive the intruder away, they spray formic acid directly onto its feathers. This action effectively chases away the parasites. The technical term for this behavior is anting.
Sounds
Alarm Call
The most common call of the Eurasian jay is its warning or alarm call. It’s a loud, but rasping sound that sounds like ripping cloth. It slowly repeats this call several times in a row. This call not only alerts its fellow jays but is so loud that it can be heard by all other animals in the forest, warning them of potential dangers. This is why it’s often referred to as the "guardian of the forest."
Singing
The voice of the Eurasian jay can be surprisingly melodic. Its song is quite soft and infrequent.
Imitating Sounds
Eurasian jays aren't always identifiable by their calls, as they mimic sounds from their environment depending on the situation:
• In Danger
When they feel threatened, they imitate one of their predators to scare them off. For instance, they might mimic a tawny owl, a buzzard, or a hawk.
• In the Countryside
Eurasian jays living in rural areas tend to imitate sounds like woodpeckers, sparrows, or the cheerful whistling of a person.
• In Urban Areas
Those residing in cities or near urban settings adopt quite different sounds. They can mimic squeaky tires, a crying baby, a lawnmower, a meowing cat, or an alarm clock. By the way, we have a detailed article about bird songs.
Intelligence
Eurasian jays are incredibly smart creatures, much like ravens. Here are a few examples of their cleverness:
Remarkable Memory
Eurasian jays can remember 25,000-30,000 hiding spots throughout their lives. This is an impressive feat for a bird and showcases a high level of intelligence.
Magic Tricks Don't Work With Them
Eurasian jays aren't fooled by magic tricks. In an experiment, scientists held a worm in one closed hand and pretended to transfer it to the other hand—a classic sleight of hand. The birds weren’t deceived and chose the correct hand.
Mental Journeys
We humans enjoy reminiscing about past experiences by visualizing and reliving them. Researchers have discovered that Eurasian jays also reflect on special moments, allowing them to unfold in their minds. This demonstrates the intelligence of these birds.
Thoughtfulness
Researchers discovered that male Eurasian jays consider what their female partners prefer to eat. They let them observe the females being fed wax worms and then allowed the males to bring food, choosing between wax worms and mealworms. Interestingly, the males opted for the food that the females hadn’t eaten yet: mealworms. The reverse was also true; when the females had eaten mealworms, the males brought them wax worms instead. How charming and intelligent!
Life Expectancy
Eurasian jays typically live 4-7 years. The oldest recorded jay reached the impressive age of 17, and it was a banded bird residing in England.
Enemies and Threats
Natural Enemies
Natural enemies include primarily sparrowhawks, goshawks, martens, and domestic cats.
Human Impact
The Eurasian jay was once seen as a forest pest and thought to be a nest raider. Both of these beliefs are incorrect, but as a result, it was heavily hunted and disappeared from many areas. Fortunately, by the early 20th century, its populations began to recover. Today, it isn't considered endangered.
Importance for the Ecosystem
The Eurasian jay is often referred to as the "forest builder" because it doesn't recover all the acorns it hides. This behavior helps to reforest the woods and contributes to maintaining balance in nature. Additionally, since it also eats carrion, it plays a role in preventing the spread of bacteria and diseases.
Reproduction
Courtship Ritual
Eurasian jays are monogamous, meaning they stay with their partner for life. During the breeding season, they strengthen and renew their bond through a unique type of wing flapping and by flying in zigzag or circular patterns.
Breeding Season
Jays typically have their young a bit later than other birds, usually between April and June. They wait until the leaves on the trees are lush and dense, which helps keep their nest hidden from predators.
Nest and Clutch
Jays build their nests at a height of 6-16 feet (2-5 meters). A typical clutch consists of 4-7 eggs, which are grayish-green with brown speckles.
Chicks
The chicks hatch 16-19 days after the eggs are laid and spend about three weeks in the nest. After leaving the nest, they continue to be fed for an additional three to four weeks.
The Eurasian Jay Is Related To:
- Common Raven
- Crow
- Magpie
Animals in the Same Biome:
- Badger
- Blackbird
- Cat
- Common Buzzard
- Dor Beetle
- Edible Dormouse
- Firefly
- Goshawk
- Hamster
- Hedgehog
- Ladybug
- Marten
- May Bug
- Microbat
- Mouse
- Raccoon
- Raven
- Red Fox
- Red Squirrel
- Robin
- Wasp
- White Stork
Sources:
- „Eichelhäher - Vogelstimmen lernen“ (https://www.youtube.com)
- „Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) show episodic-like memory through the incidental encoding of information“ (https://journals.plos.org)
- „Exploring the perceptual inabilities of Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) using magic effects“ (https://www.pnas.org)
- „Can male Eurasian jays disengage from their own current desire to feed the female what she wants?“ (https://royalsocietypublishing.org)
