Eurasian Jay Identification
What I look like
The Eurasian Jay is about the size of a Western Jackdaw.
It is recognized by its multicolored feathers.
Its body is light brown with shades of rosy or orange.
Its wings are black and white with a blue wing-bar striped with black.
Its shimmering blue is very characteristic and clearly visible in flight.
The rump is white and its tail is black.
It has a white face with a black moustache, and the top of its head is white striped with black.
Its black and powerful beak allows it to crack large nuts, held between its feet.
Its eyes are light-colored.
My songs, my calls
The Eurasian Jay produces harsh, loud, and powerful sounds. "rrèèh rrèèh" or "rrèèik"
It also makes a kind of mewing "hièèèh" similar to that of the Common Buzzard.
How I behave
The Eurasian Jay wanders in small groups outside of the breeding season.
In autumn, it can be seen gathering acorns and hiding them for the winter.
In the garden, it is quite shy: it will retrieve nuts and seeds but prefers to eat them farther away in a quiet spot or hide them.
How I reproduce
The breeding season of the Eurasian Jay extends from March to August.
It produces one clutch per year of 3 to 6 pale green eggs speckled with brown.
It nests in trees and keeps a low profile during breeding.
Its nest is a collection of twigs lined with moss, grass, and leaves.
What I eat
The Eurasian Jay primarily eats acorns, hazelnuts, and beech mast during the off-season.
During the warmer months, it hunts and feeds on animals.
It does not depend on feeding areas because it hides its provisions to last through the winter.
It will visit feeders near wooded areas in years when fruit is scarce.
It fills its throat and returns to the forest to hide its reserves.
It digs a hole to place its food and covers its cache with various plant materials.
Where to find me
The Eurasian Jay lives in forests, on plains and mountains, and in parks and gardens.
It particularly enjoys deciduous forests (oak) and mixed forests.
It does not always find its food stores and thus contributes to regenerating forests...
such as oak forests.
It is a sedentary or short-distance migratory species.