Granddad’s Camera
Jay, as it appears in the game

No.028 · Birds · Uncommon

Jay

Garrulus glandarius

A pinkish-brown crow with a flash of blue on the wing and a white rump. In autumn it is the forest's acorn planter.

When to look

August to April, mostly at dawn and day.

Time of day

Best time
Autumn (September–November), when jays are busy burying acorns and are easiest to see. Otherwise shy and hidden in the canopy.
Where in the game
the New Forest (ancient woodland)
Size
Length about 35 cm
Wingspan
About 55 cm
Weight
About 167 g (BTO average)
Lifespan
Typically about 4 years; oldest ringed bird 16 years 9 months (BTO)
Population
About 170,000 territories in the UK (BTO, 2016)
Status
Green (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)

Diet

Acorns above all, plus beechmast, insects, small mammals, and eggs and chicks of other birds in spring.

Habitat

Broadleaved woodland, especially oak, and large gardens and parks with mature trees.

Breeding

One brood; 4–5 eggs (BTO) laid from April, hatching after 18 days; young fledge after about 3 weeks.

Field signs

  • Harsh, rasping 'skraaak' screech
  • A flash of white rump and blue wing patch
  • Acorns pushed into moss or grass at the base of trees
  • Single blue-and-black-barred feather on the woodland floor

Did you know?

  • A single jay can bury thousands of acorns in one autumn and remember where many are; forgotten ones grow into oak saplings.
  • The barred blue-and-black wing feather is one of the most striking feathers you can find on a British woodland floor.
  • Jays can mimic other sounds, such as a buzzard's mewing call or a tawny owl.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Burying acorns September to November, dawn and day
    A jay lands with a bulging throat, pushes an acorn into the moss and covers it with a leaf.

Photo tip

Autumn is the time: find a quiet oak wood and wait beside a clearing where jays cross with acorns. Use a hide or car and avoid direct approach; jays spot a face at 50 m. Focus on the eye and shoot at 1/1000 s in flight.

Be a good naturalist

Jays are wary and leave when disturbed, so never push through undergrowth after one. Avoid nest areas in April–June. Do not bait with food to attract them.

The law

Protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; may be controlled by licence.

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