Birds · Passeriformes · Corvidae

Eurasian Jay

Garrulus glandarius

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is recognised as a key agent in the spread of oak woodland after the last ice age, thanks to its habit of carrying and burying acorns as far as 20 km away.

Weight

140 g – 190 g

Size

32 cm – 35 cm

Lifespan

5 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestOmnivore Diurnal Solitary Bird Temperate forest

45countries 261parks12same family

Fun facts

Many of the acorns it buries are never recovered, and end up germinating.
It can mimic the calls of other birds, including raptors such as the buzzard.
It eats acorns and other nuts, insects, and the eggs and chicks of other birds.
comportamientoIt can bury thousands of acorns each autumn in separate caches and remember roughly where a good many of them are through the winter.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Deciduous and mixed woodland, oak in particular, across much of Europe and temperate Asia
Birth weight: Tiny, blind and featherless at hatching
Size at birth: Tiny at hatching
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 16-19 days (usual reference 16-18 days)
Litter / clutch size: 4 to 6 eggs per clutch

Sources consulted: Birdfact; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); A-Z Animals; Dibird.com; MammalWeb; Animalia.bio; Songbird Survival; Animal Diversity Web; PMC (jay predation case report)