Fun Eurasian Jay Facts For Kids

The Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a species of bird in the crow family. Their name literally translates to ‘of the acorn’ (glandarius). This is because oak trees provide them with acorns, the preferred food for this species of birds. They range across the world except for America, in the UK (excluding Northern Scotland), Europe, Asia, and north-western Africa.

Eurasian jays are hard to spot because they don’t like living among humans. Their habitat is woodland and forests with thick foliage which provides them food in all seasons. They use trees and shrubs for nesting. Their favorite food is acorns among other things like seeds, nuts, berries, insects, snails, eggs, and small animals and birds. They are preyed on by bigger species of birds and animals. These birds can be befriended if provided with food. Their bill is black and the plumage of Eurasian jays ranges from pinkish to red-brown in color with a white rump. Their wings are black and white with a brilliant patch of blue with black patterns. This blue-black patch along with their white rump helps identify them during flight. Their conservation status is Least Concern because of stable populations.

For more relatable content, check out these scrub jay facts and blue jay facts for kids.

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What type of animal is a Eurasian jay?

Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a bird species belonging to the same family as crows (corvids).

What class of animal does a Eurasian jay belong to?

Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) belongs among class Aves, which are birds. The family is Corvidae among other forms of intelligent bird species like ravens, crows, and magpies.

How many Eurasian jays are there in the world?

Their range is between 33-66 million Eurasian jay birds across the world. Eurasian jays can be hard to spot even with such high populations as they don’t like living among human populations.

Where does a Eurasian jay live?

Eurasian jay habitat is among woodlands and forests. They prefer to live among dense foliage. Eurasian jays might also be found in parks and gardens if there are enough mature trees there. The range of Eurasian jays is spread across the world, mostly Northern Hemisphere. Their range of distribution is through almost all of the UK, except northern parts of Scotland. They live in Europe and across the world in western Asia through Southeast Asia. In the last few years, Eurasian jays have also been found living in north-western Africa.

What is a Eurasian jay's habitat?

Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) don't like living close to humans. Their preferred habitat range is woodland among dense foliage with lots of trees around. They do not like living in open land. Oaks are the major tree in their habitat because acorns are their main diet. Other deciduous and coniferous tree habitats also work. Other food they eat is nuts, seeds, fruits, and berries apart from other small birds and invertebrates. These are all found in the trees and shrubs in the surrounding habitat. This also helps them to stay hidden from their predators like birds of prey.

Who does Eurasian jay live with?

Male and female Eurasian jays mate for life and live monogamously. They build a nest together and lay eggs once a year. When the eggs hatch, the chicks are naked and blind. The young birds live with the family in the nest until they fledge and are ready to take off to live on their own. The mated parent birds might not live together in the winter and only come back together in spring during the breeding season to lay eggs once again. It is an otherwise solitary bird species.

How long does a Eurasian jay live?

The average Eurasian jay age is four years. The age of the longest living Eurasian jay is 16 years, 9 months, and 19 days!

How do they reproduce?

Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) are monogamous, and they mate for life. They usually reproduce at two years of age. Male birds attract the female by displaying their plumage. This ritual behavior happens in gatherings that occur when breeding and nesting season begins. After they choose their mates, they build nests with twigs and small branches. The nests are lined with moss, grass, furs, and feathers to make them more comfortable. These nests are placed in bushes or tree branches not very high from the ground. Male birds offer food like acorns and seeds to the females while nesting. Parent birds continue feeding the young for 23 days before they learn how to fly.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius is Least Concern. This is due to there being no threat to their stable populations and their extensive distribution range over the world.

What do Eurasian jays look like?

Eurasian jays are cute little birds. They are the most colorful species of birds among the Corvidae family. The color of their plumage range in shades of pinkish-gray to reddish-brown, depending on their distribution range. Their bill is black with a white throat and black patches on both sides like a mustache. The crown is white with black streaks. Their rump is white with black tail feathers. The upper wings are black and white with a striking patch of electric blue with black patterns. They can be recognized easily by their white rump and the patch of bright blue-black on the wings during flight.

How cute are they?

As you can see, Eurasian jays are super cute! Their feathers look so fluffy with beautiful plumage. The prominent blue-black patch on their wings makes them instantly identifiable, especially with the white rump if seen in flight. But their cuteness does not extend to their voices. They are very loud birds and their calls can be heard far away.

How do they communicate?

Eurasian jays have been shown to be intelligent like other Corvidae species. Their call is shrill and very loud aaaaaaack-aaaaaack! They use this call while flying or to note that they are threatened. Eurasian jays are also known for mimicking other bird species and animals! These birds also use visual elements to communicate. Different ways of raising their plumage and body pose signal different things.

How big is a Eurasian jay?

The length of a Eurasian jay is in the range of 12.6-14.2 in (32-36 cm). The length of their wingspan ranges from 20.5-22.8 in (52-58 cm). Eurasian jays are similar in size to western jackdaws and smaller than a hooded crow.

How fast can a Eurasian jay fly?

Not much information is available on how fast Eurasian jays can fly because they have no migratory patterns. But they do flit between trees and their flight is fairly low.

How much does a Eurasian jay weigh?

Eurasian jay is a small species of bird. Their average weight is 6 oz (170 g). They are twice the size of Florida scrub jay.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Male and female of the species do not have separate names.

What would you call a baby Eurasian jay?

Like many other bird species, baby Eurasian jay is called a chick.

What do they eat?

The diet of Eurasian jays is omnivorous. They are not picky about their food, anything they can find is good. This also means that their diet is quite seasonal. Their favorite food is acorns, of which they are known to collect up to 5,000 for the winter! They love to search and hoard acorns in autumn for the coming winter. Note that they eat seeds, nuts, and berries during winter. During breeding and nesting season their diet mostly consists of insects and other small invertebrates. Eurasian jays don't actively search for eggs to eat but if they find one, they might steal it and use their bill to break it open and eat it. They are also known to eat small rodents and other fledgling birds.

Are they dangerous?

No, this species of bird is not dangerous. They are rather shy and hard to spot unless you note their calls in the trees. However, Eurasian jays may be considered dangerous to other forms of bird species because they eat eggs and small fledgling birds.

Would they make a good pet?

Eurasian jays are typically very shy. These are wild bird species that would not make for good pets. But that doesn't mean you can't gain their trust and become friends with them! If you note Eurasian jay calls nearby, you can put out some acorns, nuts, and seeds for feeding them, especially in winter when food is scarce. Eventually, they will frequently start visiting your garden for food.

Did you know...

Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) has the status of being intelligent species of birds. They socialize and play games and show ability for future planning since they store acorns. Eurasian jays are also famous mimics. They mimic the calls of their predators like animals, other forms of birds, and even human babies! They like to bury acorns during autumn and sometimes forget where! This results in the acorns germinating in the spring and subsequently new oaks being planted. Eurasian jays are responsible for increasing the oak tree populations in many parts of the world where such populations were previously declining.

Do Eurasian jays migrate?

Like most other species in the corvids family, Eurasian jays do not migrate. They might fly some distances in search of food during winter, but otherwise, they remain local to their area. Recent deforestation has led to the Eurasian jay having to fly further in the search of food.

How long does it take Eurasian jay fledglings to fly?

Eurasian jays breed when they are two years of age. They build cup-shaped nests in bushes or a tree. These nests are made of small broken branches and twigs they find on the ground. To make the nest more comfortable, they line it with fur, grass, and even their own feathers! Female jays typically lay 4-5 eggs each year. They only raise a single brood every year, no more. After laying the eggs both male and female jays incubate them, which hatch in around 16 to 19 days. The young ones are vulnerable and unable to fly or see. Feeding the young goes up to 23 days until they have fledged and can fly.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these dove facts and peacock facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable flying blue jay coloring pages.