Eurasian jay
Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a bird in the songbirds and other perching birds subgroup, belonging to the family Corvidae in the order Passeriformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 159.5 g and a wingspan of 54 cm.
Quick facts about the Eurasian jay
The Eurasian jay is an omnivore that lives in forest habitats, has a perching lifestyle and is partially migratory, with a geographic range of 19,460,000 km². It lays 5 eggs per clutch, one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 16.5 days, and it is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
- Weight
- 155 g – 166.1 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 54 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 17 years – 17.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 16.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.6 – 5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the Eurasian jay?
Photos of the Eurasian jay
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the Eurasian jay live?
Not recorded
What is the Eurasian jay?
The Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a species of passerine bird in the family Corvidae. It has pinkish brown plumage with a black stripe on each side of a whitish throat, a bright blue panel on the upper wing and a black tail. The Eurasian jay is a woodland bird that occurs over a vast region from western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian subcontinent and farther to the eastern seaboard of Asia and down into south-east Asia.
Across the vast Species distribution, several distinct racial forms have evolved which look different from each other, especially when comparing forms at the extremes of its range.
From the Wikipedia article “Eurasian jay” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eurasian_jay&oldid=1379611407), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the Eurasian jay sound like?
Is the Eurasian jay endangered?
The Eurasian jay is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the Eurasian jay classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCorvidae
- genusGarrulus
- SpeciesGarrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Corvus glandarius, Corvus melanocephalus, Garrulus diaphorus, Garrulus glandarius minkoensis, Garrulus glandarius rubrosus, Garrulus glandarius ussuriensis, Garrulus glandivorus, Garrulus insularis, Garrulus rufescens
Other names and names in other languages (178)
- Acorn jayEnglish
- EUJAEnglish
- JayEnglish
- Watchman of the forestEnglish
- Eurasiese gaaiAfrikaans
- Eurasisc bleohcrāweOld English
- قيق أوراسيArabic
- زرياب أوراسيArabic
- زريق الأوراسيArabic
- أبو زُريق الأوراسيArabic
- Gai europeuAragonese
- gabuAsturian
- berrónAsturian
- gayuAsturian
- glayuAsturian
- GlrayuAsturian
- Adi zığ-zığAzerbaijani
- عادی زیغ-زیغazb
- БарабаBashkir
- OachéhéerBavarian
- Сойка звычайнаяBelarusian
- Kegin-dervBreton
- GaigCatalan
- gaig eurasiàticCatalan
- Súylin çjeǵagChechen
- алагекMari
- КыпшыльыMari
- КӗпшӗлChuvash
- СульхаChuvash
- GhjandaghjaCorsican
- sojka obecnáCzech
- ŁupkKashubian
- Sgrech y CoedWelsh
- Sgrechod y CoedWelsh
- Ysgrech y coedWelsh
- SkovskadeDanish
- JäggGerman
- EichelhäherGerman
- GäbschGerman
- GäckserGerman
- GräckeGerman
- HeroldGerman
- MarkolfGerman
- MarkwartGerman
- MarquardGerman
- MarquardtGerman
- TschäckerGerman
- KabejaLower Sorbian
- ΚίσσαGreek
- Ευρωπαϊκή ΚίσσαGreek
- (Ευρωπαϊκή) ΚίσσαGreek
- eŭrazia garoloEsperanto
- Eŭropazia garoloEsperanto
- Chara euroasiáticaSpanish
- Arrendajo euroasiáticoSpanish
- pasknäärEstonian
- EskinosoBasque
- Eskinoso eurasiarraBasque
- جیجاقPersian
- جیجاق اوراسیاییPersian
- närhiFinnish
- GnelliskjóraFaroese
- Geai des chênesFrench
- HeegerNorthern Frisian
- GjaieFriulian
- HouteksterWestern Frisian
- ScréachógIrish
- Scéachóg choilleIrish
- SgraicheagScottish Gaelic
- screuchag-choilleScottish Gaelic
- screuchagan-coilleScottish Gaelic
- screuchan-choilleScottish Gaelic
- screuchanan-coilleScottish Gaelic
- Sgreuchag choilleScottish Gaelic
- Pega marzaGalician
- Screeaghag cheylleyManx
- Šojka kreštalicaSerbian (Latin)
- עורבניHebrew
- עורבני שחור-כיפהHebrew
- šojkaCroatian
- ŠkrěkawaUpper Sorbian
- szajkóHungarian
- ՃայArmenian
- Անտառային կաչաղակArmenian
- Ճայ (Անտառային կաչաղակ)Armenian
- SkrækskaðiIcelandic
- GhiandaiaItalian
- カケスJapanese
- ჩხიკვიGeorgian
- AjaɣiɣKabyle
- МэзкъанжэKabardian
- Кöйік саасханkjh
- ОрманқарғаKazakh
- ЖорғаторғайKazakh
- 어치Korean
- КеняKomi
- КеняӧнKomi
- BûrekKurdish
- KeynCornish
- KeginCornish
- Сай сагызганKyrgyz
- MarkollefLuxembourgish
- MaarkollefLuxembourgish
- GeiLimburgish
- Gacialld
- eurazinis kėkštasLithuanian
- KėkštasLithuanian
- sīlisLatvian
- купш ӱльӧMari
- сојкаMacedonian
- Sultan iċ-ċawlMaltese
- Цагчаа ятгашаазгайMongolian
- Цагчаа ятгашаазгай - ᠶᠠᠲᠣᠭᠠ ᠱᠠᠭᠠᠵᠠᠭᠠᠢMongolian
- Каль сезьганErzya
- TʼádootłʼizhiiNavajo
- HägerLow German
- EekheeksterLow German
- कैले वनकागNepali
- GaaiDutch
- Vlaamse gaaiDutch
- nøtteskrikjeNorwegian Nynorsk
- nøtteskrikeNorwegian
- Geainrm
- GagOccitan
- ХиуаOssetic
- GaiPicard
- Sójka zwyczajnaPolish
- SójkaPolish
- sójka (zwyczajna)Polish
- GajPiedmontese
- یوریشیائی رولا کاںWestern Panjabi
- اروآسیایي جي جاقPashto
- gaio-comumPortuguese
- GaioPortuguese
- gaio-eurasiáticoPortuguese
- SgragiaRomansh
- GaiţăRomanian
- GaițăRomanian
- сояRussian
- СойкаRussian
- карезаRussian
- карёзаRussian
- Сойка обыкновеннаяRussian
- НьокоокуйYakut
- CiàulaSicilian
- Jay pyotScots
- LátteguovssatNorthern Sami
- niehttegarjáNorthern Sami
- vuovdeskeaikiNorthern Sami
- vuovdevuorččisNorthern Sami
- sojka obyčajnáSlovak
- šojaSlovenian
- GrifshaAlbanian
- GgrifshaAlbanian
- SojkaSerbian
- Креја - KrejaSerbian
- PicaSardinian
- nötskrikaSwedish
- Kunguru rangirangiSwahili
- КүкканатTatar
- นกปีกลายสก็อตThai
- นกปีกลายสก๊อตThai
- Al sarTurkmen
- AlakargaTurkish
- Bayağı alakargaTurkish
- Kestane KargasıTurkish
- Айлаң-саасканTuvinian
- ӜакыUdmurt
- сойка звичайнаUkrainian
- Gaza zuconaVenetian
- Quạ thông Á ÂuVietnamese
- Vlamsche goaiWest Flemish
- RitchådWalloon
- ჩხვირკიMingrelian
- GaikenZeelandic
- 松鴉Chinese
- 松鸦Chinese
- 橿鳥Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the Eurasian jay
Other species in the same genus Garrulus.
CompareEurasian jay vs Black-headed jayEurasian jay vs Amami jayEurasian jay vs Garrulus iliceti
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Eurasian jay?
The Eurasian jay is a bird in the family Corvidae, part of the songbirds and other perching birds subgroup in the order Passeriformes.
How heavy is a Eurasian jay?
An adult Eurasian jay weighs 159.5 g, with values from 155 g to 166.1 g reported by sources. Its wingspan is 54 cm.
What does the Eurasian jay eat?
The Eurasian jay is an omnivore.
What habitat does the Eurasian jay live in?
The Eurasian jay lives in forest habitats and has a perching lifestyle.
Is the Eurasian jay endangered?
No. The Eurasian jay is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a Eurasian jay live?
The Eurasian jay has a lifespan of 17 years, with up to 17.92 years reported by sources.
How many eggs does a Eurasian jay lay?
The Eurasian jay lays 5 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 16.5 days.
Who named the Eurasian jay?
The Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-jay
“Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-jay.
@misc{eurasian_jay_2026,
title = {Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-jay},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}