Eurasian Jay

Unlike most members of the Corvidae family, the Eurasian Jay has brightly coloured feathers that draw attention. Because of this, it is easily recognizable. There is no sexual dimorphism and all the feathers look similar. Here, we describe the North European subspecies 'glandarius', which inhabits France.
Most of the body is a clear brown-beige with bits of pinkish or reddish tones. The head is the most brightly coloured with reddish cheeks. This contrast with the mantle and scapular feathers, the palest parts of the body. The face is whitish, with black moustache under the eyes and with fine black stripes on the front feathers and atop the head which the bird ruffles when excited. The iris is blue-white. The beak is fairly short and black.
The wing is mostly black, although that can best be seen when in flight. When the wing is closed, one can mostly perceive a vivid blue patch at the front. The primary coverts and greater outer coverts are sky-blue and barred in dark blue. Behind this patch, a clear white panel on a black background can be distinguished, formed by the pure whit bases of the five outermost secondary remiges. Finally, just behind, a vivid brown can be distinguished on the two innermost tertiary remiges, which is also likely to shade the second pair. The combination of all these colours creates the typical colourful pattern of the species. The primary remiges are lined in white, which creates a pale band visible along the external side of the wing.
The uppertail coverts and undertail coverts and the rump are white and, when the bird is in flight, one cannot miss the clear white patch at the base of the black tail, which is also a distinctive feature of the species. The legs are fleshy-brown.
With 34 described subspecies, the species is highly polymorphic, yet always recognizable as such.