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==Habitat== | ==Habitat== | ||
| − | Mainly deciduous woodland and forest, and oak in particular. Also in mixed forest, orchards, town parks and large gardens, and coniferous forest in the north and east of the Region. | + | Mainly deciduous woodland and forest, and oak in particular. Also in mixed forest, orchards, town parks and large gardens, and coniferous forest in the north and east of the Region. |
| + | |||
==Behaviour== | ==Behaviour== | ||
Usually a very shy and wary bird, keeping in dense foliage. However, in city parks birds can become very confiding. | Usually a very shy and wary bird, keeping in dense foliage. However, in city parks birds can become very confiding. | ||
Revision as of 10:43, 14 May 2010
- Garrulus glandarius
Identification
Plumage mainly pinkish-brown. Whitish throat and vent. Black moustachial stripe. Blue, black and white panels on wings.
North African birds show a greyer mantle and contrasting rufous nape, cervicalis from northern parts of Algeria and Tunisia has black crown, whitish sides to head and grey tail-base. Moroccan Atlas race minor and north Morocco-west Algerian whitakeri has broad crown streaks and sides of head more rufous.
Photo by scottishdude
Lesvos, April 2010
Crimean race iphigenia, Turkish and Caucasian krynicki, atricapillus from the Middle East and rhodius from Rhodes have black crowns and whitish faces (more rufous in krynicki). Race severzowii from Scandinavia to the Urals intergrades between nominate and more eastern forms with rufous head and nape and contrasting grey mantle.
Distribution
A common and widespread bird in the Region, occurring in a variety of races. Breeds in the British Isles (except northern Scotland and western Ireland), and from France and Iberia east to the Urals ranging north to the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and south to most Mediterranean islands and North-West Africa, Turkey, the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Mainly resident but occasionally irruptive in far north of range and can result in birds crossing the North Sea to winter in Britain.
Recorded as a vagrant to Malta.
Taxonomy
More than 30 subspecies of this bird have been described with about 20 from the Western Palearctic. These fall into several groups with the nominate group found over most of Europe including glandarius in North and Central Europe, rufitergum in Britain and hibernicus in Ireland. Further south, albipectus is found in Italy, fasciatus in Iberia. On the Mediterranean islands, corsicanus occurs on Corsica, ichnusae on Sardinia, cretorum on Crete and glaszneri on Cyprus. All are rather similar with pinkish-brown plumage and streaked crowns and some may not be valid races.
Subspecies[1]
- G. g. rufitergum: Southern Scotland, England, Wales and northern France
- G. g. hibernicus: Ireland
- G. g. glandarius: Northern and central Europe
- G. g. severtzowi: Scandinavia and western Russia
- G. g. lusitanicus: Northern Portugal and northern Spain
- G. g. fasciatus: Southern, central and eastern Spain
- G. g. corsicanus: Corsica
- G. g. albipectus: Italy, Dalmatian coast of Yugoslavia, Albania and Ionian Islands
- G. g. jordansi: Sicily
- G. g. ichnusae: Sardinia
- G. g. graecus: Southern Yugoslavia, southern Bulgaria and Greece
- G. g. cretorum: Crete
- G. g. glaszneri: Cyprus
- G. g. fernandi: South-eastern Bulgaria to northern Turkey (Istranca Mountains)
- G. g. atricapillus: Lebanon to southern Syria, Israel and western Jordan
- G. g. anatoliae: Western Turkey and eastern Aegean Sea to western Asia Minor, northern Iraq and south-western Iran
- G. g. samios: Samos and Ikaria region of eastern Aegean Sea
- G. g. iphigenia: Crimean Peninsula
- G. g. minor: Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria
- G. g. cervicalis: North-eastern Algeria and Tunisia
- G. g. whitakeri: Northern Morocco and north-western Algeria
- G. g. krynicki: Caucasus, Transcaucasia and northern Asia Minor
- G. g. hyrcanus: Northern Iran (Elzburg Mountains and south shore of Caspian Sea)
- G. g. brandtii: Ural Mountains to Siberia, Lake Baikal and Altai and Sayan mountains
- G. g. bambergi: Mongolia to Sakhalin, southern Kuril Islands, Hokkaido and Korea
- G. g. kansuensis: Kazakhstan (eastern Tien Shan) and western China (Gansu)
- G. g. pekingensis: Northern China (Liaoning) and south-western Manchuria
- G. g.s sinensis: Western China to northern Yunnan and north-eastern Myanmar
- G. g. leucotis: Eastern Myanmar to southern Yunnan, Thailand to central Vietnam
- G. g. oatesi: Central Myanmar (upper Chindwin and Chin Hills)
- G. g. barringtoni: Myanmar (Mount Victoria in south Chin Hills)
- G. g. interstinctus: Eastern Himalayas and south-eastern Tibet
- G. g. persaturatus: Northern India (Khasi Hills of Assam)
- G. g. bispecularis: Himalayas (Kashmir to Nepal)
- G. g. japonicus: Japan (Hondo, Shikoku and Kyushu)
- G. g. tokugawae: Sado Island (Japan)
- G. g. hiugaensis: Japan (Isu Peninsula of eastern Hondo, southern Kyushu and Kagoshima)
- G. g. orii: Yakushima Island (Ryukyu Islands)
- G. g. namiyei: Tsushima Islands (south-western Japan)
- G. g. taivanus: Taiwan
Habitat
Mainly deciduous woodland and forest, and oak in particular. Also in mixed forest, orchards, town parks and large gardens, and coniferous forest in the north and east of the Region.
Behaviour
Usually a very shy and wary bird, keeping in dense foliage. However, in city parks birds can become very confiding. Normally solitary or in family groups.
Diet
An omnivorous feeder. The diet includes invertebrates (notably caterpillars and beetles) but also eggs and nestlings and a wide variety of seeds and berries. Does visit garden birdtables where unmolested.
Breeding
Breeding starts in April in most of Europe. A pair stays together several years, possibly even lifelong. The nest is built by both sexes. It's a platfrom of twigs, placed some 4 to 6m above the ground, usually well concealed by foliage and near the tree centre. Lays 3 - 10 eggs (chiefly 5 - 7) which are incubated 16 - 17 days by the female. The nestling period is 19 - 23 days.
Vocalisation
The alarm call is a harsh, rasping screech. It is a great mimic.
<flashmp3>Garrulus glandarius (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Eurasian Jay. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 22 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eurasian_Jay
External Links
