Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius

I was filing a few images when it occurred to me that this would be a slightly interesting post to some people who are not familiar with this species. I get to see very often the Eurasian Jay in my two different gardens in England and Turkey. Basically the same bird but with a different subspecies of the nominate bird Garrulus glanarius.

The Eurasian Jay is a species in the Corvid family. Its range covers a huge region from western Europe and NW Africa to the Indian sub-continant and into Asia and down to South east Asia. Across this range many distinct forms have evolved which look very different from each other.

I think there are about forty sub species in total with all displaying the most subtle of differences that set them apart form the nominate bird Garrulus glanarius

Here are the only two that I have first hand experience of and show in this post

Garrulus glandarius rufitergum. (first image below)

This birds range is Southern Scotland, England, Wales and Northern France and most obviously is lacking the black cap.

 

Garrulus glandarius anatloiae (Below)

This birds range is Western Turkey, Eastern Aegean, Western Asia Minor, Northern Iraq and SW Iran.

When you see the birds side by side the differences are quite stark, on the Garrulus glandarius anatloiae  you can clearly see the Black cap, extensive black secondary coverts, white primaries, less warm buff plumage to the back etc  

However the behavior of these two sub species are poles apart, Garrulus glandarius rufitergum is a very inconspicuous bird that is often heard in dense upper canopy and often see flying away with only the distinctive white rump and black tail showing as it disappears into a tree. Whereas Garrulus glandarius anatloiae tend to be very conspicuous and happy to be around human habitation often visiting man made constructions such as my garden wall.