Species profile
Name: the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a species of bird closely related to crows and magpies that can be found across Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Appearance: jays are mostly a light brown colour, and are easily recognised by the brilliant blue feathers on their wings.
Size: they typically measure around 34 cm long and weigh 160 grams.
Diet: they feed on insects, acorns, fruits, berries, young birds, and eggs.
Did you know: jays are famous for collecting acorns in the Autumn and storing them for eating later on in winter. This collecting and burying of acorns in selected hiding places is actually an important part of the life cycle of oak trees, with jays being a key disperser of oak tree seeds. Before humans began planting oak trees commercially, Eurasian jays were the main source of oak propagation in the world – with each jay being able to spread more than a thousand acorns each year! They’ve been recorded carrying acorns as far as 20 km, and were key to the spread of oaks following the last ice age.
Location: Eurasian jays can be found in mixed woodlands, particularly those with oaks. Their range covers western Europe, north-west Africa, and East Asia.
Where to see Eurasian Jays
According to reports submitted to WildSide, the top ten places you can see Eurasian jays are as follows:
| Place | Chance to see | User rating | No. reports |
| #1 Knepp England |
100% very high |
4.0 very good |
1 reports |
| #2 Broadwater Warren England |
100% very high |
3.0 good |
1 reports |
| #3 Sevenoaks England |
58% average |
3.3 good |
33 reports |
| #4 London Wetland Centre England |
33% low |
4.3 very good |
3 reports |
| #5 Cwm Clydach Wales |
33% low |
2.7 average |
3 reports |
| #6 Dee Estuary England |
25% low |
3.5 good |
4 reports |
| #7 Richmond Park England |
22% low |
4.3 very good |
9 reports |
| #8 Knole Park England |
22% low |
4.0 very good |
9 reports |
| #9 One Tree Hill England |
21% low |
3.3 good |
107 reports |
| #10 Sydenham Hill Wood England |
15% very low |
3.2 good |
13 reports |
Other places
In addition to the top ten, Eurasian jays can also be seen in Peckham Rye (6% of WildSide users reported sightings).
Photo credit: WildSide team member Rob Morris