What do female jays look like? How does the bird call and what does it eat? In our profile on the jay you will find everything you need to know about the breeding season, the food and the special features of the native bird.
The jay (Garrulus glandarius) owes its name to its favorite food, the acorns. In late year he hides up to 5000 of the small nuts in the forest to stock up for the winter. However, despite his amazingly good memory, he does not find part of it again, which contributes to the spread of the trees. Not only does it do good service to the oaks, but also to the animals living in the forest: in the event of danger, the jay warns not only its fellow animals with its penetrating call, but also many other animals. Because of this trait, he is also known as the Guardian of the Forest.
Jay: A detailed profile
| Size | About 35 cm |
| Weight | About 170 g |
| Incubation | April - June |
| Lifetime | About 15 years old |
| Habitat | Forests, parks, cemeteries, large gardens |
| Food Preference | Acorns, Berries, Mice, Eggs, Insects, Seeds |
| Threats | dwindling habitat, birds of prey |
How to recognize the jay
Due to its size and its striking plumage, the jay cannot be confused with any other native bird - and it is also a real beauty. It has a grey-brown, slightly reddish base colour, a black dotted crown and a strong beak, which reveals its affiliation with the crow family. On each side of the base of its beak, a wide, black stripe of beard stretches down to its throat. The dark elytra are decorated with a light field and a blue-black banded field - the latter is probably the bird's most striking feature. In flight one can clearly see the snow-white lower back - also called rump - which contrasts withthe jet black tail feathers.
What does the call of the jay sound like?
Despite its colorful plumage, the jay cannot hide its relationship to other corvids - and its incoming, cheerful call gives it away first. This sounds like a loud ratchet and turns into a warning yell when there is danger. The other members of the genus have a similar reputation, which gave the small group its name. "Garrulus" comes from Latin and means something like "talkative". The jay does not have a real song in its repertoire.
You can listen to the call of the jay below:
How do you recognize the young birds?
Young jays already look a lot like their parents. Their plumage has the same reddish-brown color, the dark tail feathers and wing covers are already visible and even the blue wing panel - this is a special feature that makes it easy to recognize the jay without a doubt.
How do you recognize the eggs of the jay?
A medium-sized bird, the jay lays larger eggs than the average songbird. These measure about 31 x 23 millimeters and are embedded in a moss-lined nest made of twigs. The clutch consists of four to seven eggs, the basic color of which can vary between a greenish, bluish and sand-colored tone. It is not uncommon for the eggs to have additional fine brown speckles.
What is the difference between male and female jays?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to distinguish between the sexes of the jay visually, because the females are colored the same as the male specimens.
Which habitat do jays prefer?
The jay occurs in all forest types - be it deciduous, coniferous or mixed forest. He prefers richly structured forests with high shrub layers. In contrast, it feels less at home in tidy forests and open landscapes. From time to time, the jay also occurs in human habitats, for example in forest-like parks or very large, wild gardens.
Where do they build their nest?
The Nest ofJays are usually very well hidden and are preferably built in the tops of trees or high bushes several meters high. Sometimes old nests are accepted by other corvids or even birds of prey. During nest building, the jay is very vigilant - as soon as it feels disturbed, it will abandon its nesting site and start over again in a different place. This is also one of the reasons why the birds rarely breed in domestic gardens.
When do jays breed?
The breeding season of the jay is from April to June. During this time, the parents only raise a single brood, which requires a lot of care. The young birds are outright nest stools, which are born naked and blind after about 16 days of incubation. They are therefore provided with food by both parents for a full 20 days in the nest and remain dependent on them for some time after fledging.
Where do jays spend the winter?
The jay is considered a partial migrant, which means that only some populations leave their breeding range and migrate south in winter. This mostly depends on the region and the conditions there. Our native animals are resident birds and therefore spend the winter in Germany.
A special feature of the jay is that it already stocks up on food in the late spring and is therefore well supplied even in the sparse winter months. To do this, he buries nuts, especially acorns, all over the forest, of which he recovers a surprisingly large part.
Support Jays: Here's how
Even though the jay has developed a good system for getting food in winter, it could use our help during the cold months. Because the stock of deciduous forests with a rich supply of acorns is negligible in many regions. In the following you will learn everything about correct feeding as well as other practical tips.
What do jays eat?
The diet of the jay is extremely diverse. It is a real "omnivore" and uses both animal and vegetable food - from insects, worms and spiders to mice and other small animals to berries, seeds, nuts and of course acorns. Occasionally, jays will also become nest robbers, eating eggs or smaller nestlings.
For the jay there is a wide range of food that can be offered in winter: apples, raisins, tree seeds and nuts. Here offer themselvesSunflower seeds and peanuts in particular, as these are also used by other species such as the blue tit. Our Plantura sunflower seeds have the advantage that they come without the shell and can therefore be ingested by the birds without any additional effort. It also reduces waste at the bird feeder, in the garden or on the balcony.
Tip: Jays are very cautious birds and therefore rarely come to free-standing bird feeders. It is therefore a good idea to install a special feeding station somewhat concealed near the tree.
Which nest boxes are suitable for jays?
Because jays prefer to nest high up in the treetops and are very sensitive to disturbances in nest building, they rarely colonize nest boxes. If you still want to try your luck, you should opt for spacious semi-hollow boxes and place them in a quiet and sheltered place, for example in a densely overgrown and little-used piece of garden.
You can find more information on the topic of "build your own nesting box" in our special article.
How can you support jays?
Like all birds, the jay is happy about a bird bath in the garden in summer, which it visits quite regularly. If you also want to promote the natural food supply, you can do this with numerous bird-friendly plants. For example, our Plantura beneficial insect magnet gives you the opportunity to create a true paradise for insects and other garden animals, many of which are also on the jay's menu.
Another eye-catching garden visitor whose voice can be heard from afar is the green woodpecker. You can find out how to clearly identify this magnificent bird in our special article.