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23

Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) Alternate name(s): "Jay" German name(s): "Eichelhäher" Size: 32-35 cm

Europe: Family Group 23 Family Group 23 Table Eurasian Nutcracker Red-billed Chough Alpine Chough Eurasian Jay Western Jackdaw Hooded Crow Carrion Crow Rook Common Raven Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description The various races of Eurasian Jays show variations in their plumages. The central European nominate race "glandarius" has a black-and-white streaked cap, rufous cheeks, black patches under the eyes and a greyish throat. Most of the rest of the plumage, including the wing coverts, is pale greyish-brown, except the flight feathers, which are boldly patterned black and white, with prominent light-blue and black wing patches. The rump and undertail coverts are white; the tail is black. Eurasian Jays have yellowish-white irises, a stout dark-grey bill and flesh-coloured legs and feet.

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Jay at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Eurasian Jay is available HERE . There are a whole plethora of races of Eurasian Jays (33 in total). Together, they populate almost all of Europe (except the subpolar regions of Scandinavia), the Atlas main range in northern Africa, parts of the Middle East, a swath spanning the width of central Asia, and all of Japan and Korea and parts of China in far-eastern Asia. In addition, they are also found in South-East Asia, from northern Thailand to southern China, roughly to the East of the Himalaya mountain range, and along the northern fringe of the Himalayas. In Europe Eurasian Jays are found throughout the continent and the British Isles, but not parts of northern Scandinavia and north-western Russia. Eurasian Jays can live in a variety of habitats. The European race/s have a preference for forest and woodland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "glandarius" D. Wilczynska reports seeing Eurasian Jays, race "glandarius", regularly in the area of Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland. M. Thomas reports spotting an Eurasian Jay, race "glandarius", in Eltville, Hessen, Germany, in January 2019. H. Dahlem-Senger found the species at the same location in April 2021. G. Pinelas reports spotting an Eurasian Jay, race "glandarius", in Reboleira, Lisbon, Portugal, in January 2019. J. Pires reports finding Eurasian Jays, race "glandarius", in Costa Caparica, Almada, Portugal, in 2014 and occasionally, throughout the year, in Mora, Evora, Portugal. G. Normand found an Eurasian Jay, race "glandarius", at Pere Lachaise cemetery, 20th district, Paris, France, in November 2020. In the past we used to see Eurasian Jays, race "glandarius", regularly in the Eifel, Rheinland-Pfalz, and in forests and woodland in the Saarland, Germany.

Photos

Race "glandarius"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an Eurasian Jay getting all excited in the bathtub and in the process raising its crest
(photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Reboleira, Lisbon, Portugal, January 2019]

Near-frontal view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Reboleira, Lisbon, Portugal, January 2019]

Near-frontal view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, November 2015]

Near-frontal/ventral view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Pere Lachaise cemetery, 20th district, Paris, France, November 2020]

Near-lateral view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, January 2019]

Lateral view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, January 2017]

Lateral view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Reboleira, Lisbon, Portugal, January 2019]

Lateral view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, January 2017]

Lateral view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, November 2015]

Lateral view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Reboleira, Lisbon, Portugal, January 2019]

Near-dorsal view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, November 2015]

Dorsal view of an Eurasian Jay looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, January 2019]

Dorsal view of an Eurasian Jay (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, February 2023]

Dorsal view of an Eurasian Jay in flight, wings folded (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]

Food, Diet

Eurasian Jay taking fat from a bird feeder (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, January 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

eurjay_dw_20160907_2.m4a	glandarius (Poland)	Territorial calls	© DW
eurjay_dw_20160907_1.m4a	glandarius (Poland)	Alarm calls (human)	© DW

More Eurasian Jay sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Wed, 3 May 2023, 21:42 +00:00