Jay - description, habitat, interesting facts

Jay is a striking representative of the passerine family. Light holiday plumage of the bird has become its main distinguishing feature. In addition, it is characterized by good adaptive properties. This is what allows some birds not to fly to warmer climes during the migration period, but to stay in winter and find refuge from cold weather under a canopy of a tree. Jay is not picky about food, occasionally attacks other representatives of his family of passerines.

There are several versions of the origin of the name of the bird. According to one of them, the name "jay" was derived from the word "radiance." Probably, since ancient times, the bird pleased with the beauty and brightness of its plumage, which is why it got such a name. Interestingly, “jay” is a diminutive form of the original name of the bird “soy”.

Jays are often confused with cuckoos due to the similarly variegated plumage, body shape and size. You can distinguish birds from each other thanks to the characteristics characteristic of each species. One of these is the imitative abilities of jays, which are very appreciated by ornithologists. Yielding to parrots, they nevertheless have an advantage over cuckoos in this difficult matter, demonstrating the good mental abilities of birds.

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Jays do not differ in large size. The body length of an individual does not exceed 40 cm. Thus, a rare representative of this species is able to surpass the jackdaws familiar to everyone. The plumage of the bird is smooth and consists of small individual feathers. The wingspan of an adult bird can reach 50 cm. This fact explains the well-known paradox: the jay sitting on a branch seems small, but as soon as it flies up, the idea of ​​its size immediately changes. The weight of the bird varies from 170 g to 200 g. The legs are characterized by a good length. Claws help birds cling to tree branches. The sharp and short beak has a massive beak.

The color of the eyes of adult jays gravitates toward light shades of blue; at an early age, birds are usually brown. To date, ornithologists have not figured out the reason for such changes. One of the versions explaining the age-related change in pigmentation of the iris is equating it with a signal about puberty of the bird and its readiness to enter the breeding season.

As noted earlier, representatives of this species of birds are able to imitate various sounds, in particular those made by other birds living in the neighborhood. Hence its second name - Mockingjay - which became famous from the novels by Susan Collins. Cases were recorded when a bird imitated a person, repeating some words. But such attempts by birds of this species did not differ in clarity, which is characteristic of parrots.

Habitat and bird behavior

Jays are very common birds.A high level of adaptability, excessive timidity made representatives of this species spread widely throughout the European continent. So, the largest bird populations were found in Russia, France, and the Baltic states. Jays were not limited to these territories and settled on Chinese and Korean lands. These same biological factors influenced the fact that, as a mainland bird, the jay found a place for its stay on various islands, including Sakhalin.

Typically, birds of this species are predominantly sedentary and prefer to settle in forests. The desert of the steppes repels jays, because there it is more difficult for them to find food and easier to fall into the clutches of a predator.

Each year, birds leave northern habitats and migrate towards the South. This behavior of jays is due to the need to hide from frosty weather. If climatic conditions are not characterized by pronounced seasonality, as in the southern part of Eurasia, jays do not make such flights.

What does it eat?

Representatives of this species of birds are quick-witted, as evidenced by their habit of making food supplies. For example, in the autumn months, one bird can lay off more than 3 kg of acorns on a rainy day. In addition to this goodies, bright birds love pine nuts, which explains the high probability of meeting large populations of jays in the places where oaks and cedars grow.

What else is included in their diet? Jays eat cereal plants, nuts, various insects and snails. If the population of jays lives near a reservoir, then birds can feed on mollusks or small amphibians. Forest-steppe jays eat rodents, lizards, as well as small birds and their eggs or chicks. For this, hunters often shoot jays, believing that they cause harm. But, in fact, this species brings much greater benefit, since the gluttony of birds in the summer leads to their destruction of a large number of plant pests: insects and rodents. The natural enemies of jays are often hawks, crows, martens attacking them

Jays are usually eaten a lot in spring and summer to form fat deposits, which are necessary for the bird in winter. In early September, birds enter the stockpiling mode. As jay warehouses, old stumps or tree hollows are used. In addition to using their supplies, birds often “steal” from neighbors. Ornithologists record that birds like to eat agricultural products. For example, jays eat small potato tubers, carrots and beetroot.

A developed brain of jays allows them to find various ways that make the life of birds easier. A similar example is their visit to anthills. Birds do this when breeding in plumage of parasites or as a preventive measure. Formic acid released by insects in order to drive the bird out kills unwanted parasitic organisms. Another illustration of the quick wits of birds is their custom to group under the branches of conifers in the winter, which helps to keep warm.

Features of breeding birds

The mating season of jays begins in the first months of spring, when birds seek partners. At this time, they prefer to move to the territory of dense forest growth, next to natural water reservoirs. Straying in large flocks, jays scream and arrange battles. This process lasts approximately 7 days. As a result, couples are formed who are looking for a place to place a nest, for example, a stable female.

The nest created by birds usually resembles a shallow bowl in shape. Its volume curls from strong rods, in turn, the inside is lined with leaves or grass. There, the female lays from 4 to 7 eggs, however, they hatch with both birds alternately for 15-17 days.The eggshell is green, yellow or brown. Hatched chicks of jays are distinguished by a good appetite, so parents are forced to look for food all day. Often, chicks die of hunger. If there are a lot of insects, then the birds gradually grow and get stronger.

Interesting Facts

1. A new variety of jays has appeared in the southern part of Siberia, which is distinguished by its color. In addition, special birds are migratory.
2. During the three summer months, jays prefer to keep their distance in relation to human settlements, settle in forests or groves, where they manage to find the necessary amount of food. In winter, the birds, on the contrary, fly to the city because they need food that is not easy to find in the natural environment this season.
3. City jays do not stockpile for the winter. Birds find enough food in park feeders, as well as in trash bins and bins. If what they find is not enough, then they steal the provisions stored on the balconies.
4. Chicks in the first days of life need a large amount of protein to form the skeleton, so adults feed them with insects. Only after gaining strength do the birds switch to plant nutrition.

Video: Jay (Garrulus glandarius)