Eurasian jay

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

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