Amnesiac Jay Birds (they help to plant oak trees!)
Blue is one of the rarest colours in nature. Less than one in ten plants are blue. And even less percentage for birds and other wildlife. Blue fruits and vegetables don’t really exist (the anthocyanin compound with health benefits in blueberries and blackberries is actually purple).
Jays are one of England’s most exotic-looking birds. In fact, you may do a double-take, when you first see a bright blue wing patch, as it’s so unusual in this part of the world. Their feathers are actually brown, the ‘blue’ is due to the scattering of light (a bit like polar bears, who have translucent, rather than white fur).
The other way to easily recognise jay birds, is because they have black moustaches! One of England’s species of crows, jays are ‘noisy chatterboxes’ that you may hear screeching in the park, but are unlikely to see. As they often hide away.
What’s important (and quite funny) about jays, is that they are very forgetful. So they hunt for acorns, then store them away, often forget where they put some of them. So are almost single-handedly responsible for many of England’s beautiful oak trees!
Oak trees (and acorns) are unsafe near pets, horse and livestock, so keep them well away.
Jays also eat fruits, beetles and caterpillars (which is why we must protect butterfly habitats). They can mimic calls of other birds, to deter predators.
All UK crows are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Report concerns to Crimestoppers Wildlife Crime (anonymous).
Although jays are more likely to visit woodland, keep cats indoors at dawn and dusk (when birds are likely feeding) and avoid wooden bird feeders (cats can claw up them).
Read more on creating safe havens for birds, and how to stop birds flying into windows.
