Alternative names: Henderson's Ground-Jay; Black-tailed Ground-Jay; Mongolian Desert Jay; Henderson's Ground-Chough
- Podoces hendersoni
Identification
28cm. A distinctive corvid:
- Glossy black centre of crown and nape
- Pale sandy rest of head
- Sandy brown upperparts, richest on scapulars, rump and uppertail-coverts
- Black and white wings
- Glossy blue-black tail
- Sandy buff underparts
- Black, gently down-curved bill
- Dark brown eye
- Black legs
Sexes similar. Juveniles with dull black wings (instead of glossy)
Similar species
Similar to Xinjiang Ground-Jay but note black tail and lack of black on throat.
Distribution
Found in south-central Russia (Tuva), west and southern Mongolia and northwest and north China. A single record in Kazakhstan in 1962.
Uncommon and threatened by habitat destruction.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Forms a species pair with Xinjiang Ground-Jay and is sometimes included with the latter in the genus Eupodoces.
Habitat
Stony or gravel desert and semi-desert with some bushes. Usually between 1000 and 1700m but recorded up to 3800m.
Behaviour
Prefers to run rather than fly from potential danger.
Diet
Feeds omnivorous on insects, small lizards, seeds and other plant material.
Breeding
Breeding recorded from March to May. The nest is a bowl made of twigs and rootlets. It's placed low in a bush, rarely among boulders. Lays 3 - 4 eggs.
A resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Mongolian Ground Jay. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mongolian_Ground_Jay
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
