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  • Jay

Jay

Jay
Jay
  • Scientific name: Garrulus glandarius
  • Bird family: Crows
  • UK conservation status: Green
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Audio

Your browser does not support this audio feature.

Niels Krabbe, Xeno-canto

Key information

Although they are the most colourful members of the crow family, jays are actually quite difficult to see. They are shy woodland birds, rarely moving far from cover. The screaming call usually lets you know a jay is nearby and it is usually given when a bird is on the move, so watch for a bird flying between the trees with its distinctive flash of white on the rump. Jays are famous for their acorn feeding habits and in the autumn you may see them burying acorns for retrieving later in the winter.

What they eat:

Mainly acorns, nuts, seeds and insects, but also eats nestlings of other birds and small mammals.

Measurements:

Length:
34-35cm
Wingspan:
52-58cm
Weight:
140-190g

Population:

UK breeding:
170,000 territories

Identifying features:

Jay

Jay
Feather colour: Black Blue Brown Cream/buff Grey Pink/purple White
Leg colour: Brown Pink
Beak: Black Medium length Powerful Chunky
Natural habitats: Woodland Farmland Urban and suburban

Where and when to see them

You can find jay across most of the UK, except northern Scotland. Lives in both deciduous and coniferous woodland, parks and mature gardens. Likes oak trees in autumn when there are plenty of acorns. Often seen flying across a woodland glade giving its screeching call, it becomes more obvious in autumn when it may fly some distance in the open in search of acorns.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Jay distribution map

You can see jay all year round, but often more obvious in autumn when they travel most in search of acorns, beech mast and hazelnuts to bury.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Church Wood

Video

Video

See footage of a jay finding food.

See footage of a jay finding food.

Play video
Jay video screenshot

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