- Lifespan
- 5–17 years in the wild; average 5–8 years
- Size & Weight
- 34–35 cm long, wingspan 52–58 cm; 140–190 g
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed woodlands, mature gardens, parks, and scrubland with good tree cover.
- UK Distribution
- Found throughout England, Wales, and southern Scotland; absent from far north Scotland and Ireland. Resident year-round with populations bolstered by continental visitors in autumn and winter.
- Diet
- Omnivorous, feeding on acorns and other seeds, nuts, berries, insects, spiders, and small vertebrates including nestlings of other birds.
- Prey
- Small birds, eggs, nestlings, insects, spiders, and small mammals such as voles and shrews
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, Goshawks, Buzzards, Tawny Owls, foxes, and domestic cats
- Mating Season
- March to July
- Breeding
- Clutch of 3–5 eggs (typically 4); incubation period 16–17 days; fledging 19–20 days; usually one brood per year.
- Behaviour
- Jays are highly intelligent, bold, and noisy, with loud, harsh alarm calls. They are primarily arboreal but often visit ground feeders and gardens. They are known for caching acorns in autumn, inadvertently aiding oak regeneration across the UK.