The 'British Bird of Paradise' - the Jay

Emma Chaplin
, 22 November 2020
The 'British Bird of Paradise' - the Jay
Jay collecting acorns ©Phil Winter

By Michael Blencowe

Senior Learning and Engagement Officer

In autumn, a lot of my conversations go like this: “This morning I saw a weird pink and blue bird on my lawn.” Me: “It’s a Jay.” “There’s a parrot on my bird table!” Me: “It’s a Jay.” “I’ve just seen…” Me: “It’s a Jay”. 

Spotting such an exotic-looking bird in the back garden gets even my most wildlife-averse friends reaching for the Blencowe bird identification hotline. Yet despite looking like it has flown in direct from the jungles of Costa Rica, the Jay lives in Sussex all year round. For most of the year it withdraws to the woodlands and leads an elusive life amongst the leaves. But in the autumn it is time for the Jay to step out of the shadows.

Jays look fabulous. With extravagant pink plumage, a drooping black moustache and a snazzy electric blue flash through the wings it’s no surprise that eminent Sussex naturalist W.H. Hudson called it ‘the British Bird of Paradise’. Surprisingly, it’s a member of the crow family. But while the related ravens, rooks, crows and jackdaws all wear black funereal feathers, the Jay obviously didn’t get the memo about the dress code. Gather the crows for a family portrait and the Jay stands out like Danny La Rue in full drag amongst a crowd of coal miners. But when the Jay opens its beak, it reveals its family heritage. The song of the Jay is a rough, rasping, nails-down-the-blackboard shriek which would make any crow proud. 

The reason we see more Jays in the autumn is because they are busy. Jays are nuts about acorns and at that time of the year their favourite food is in plentiful supply. But the Jay is a clever bird. Aware that there are lean times ahead, it starts making a long term investment for surviving the winter. With up to nine acorns jammed in its beak and throat the Jay flies far from the woodlands and hides these nuts in nooks and under dead leaves. With an impressive ability to remember exactly where he has stashed them, the Jay will return tuck into these life-saving larders in the cold days of winter. I’ve employed a similar strategy many times at parties. Faced with a full buffet at the start of the night, I hide a few piles of crisps and vol-au-vents behind curtains and cushions to help me get through the evening. 

One Jay can store up to 5000 acorns in a season. Not all are remembered and retrieved and from these lost acorns mighty oaks grow. I often wonder how many of the huge oaks we see in Sussex were originally planted by Jays. Through the centuries these birds have been architects of the English countryside: a landscape created by the forgetfulness of a pink crow. 

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Comments

  • Allan Curtis:

    Thank you for the info. A Jay has been in the back garden over weekend. taking seeds that have fallen from the bird table.
    Having seen birds of paradise in Papua New Guinea over 50 years ago I think they still win for extravagance. However, the Jay was/is splendid.
    Allan

    16 Jun 2024 09:45:00

  • Maureen Doyle:

    So interesting on this special bird Jay and now so close to Autumn.

    21 Aug 2025 08:38:00

  • Jessica:

    as a visitor from Tasmania I was intrigued and delighted to see an industrious Jay foraging in the pot plants. I also spotted (not unusual I’m sure) my first Pheasant in the wild pecking around the pond.

    09 Jan 2026 15:04:00

  • Catherine Hull:

    I had a Jay in the garden last year. Unusual as there are no woods nearby. Then it attacked and killed a sparrow and commenced to peck at its body. I could not believe it. The behaviour of a raptor.

    21 Feb 2026 19:47:00

  • paul Pearce:

    I lovevyou comments about the bird of paradice ( bluejay) never realised its home was susex
    I live in hanbury burton up on trent wgat a great surprise to wake up and grab a coffie out my window i thought what the dam heck is that yes i thought it was the blue jay happyly dotting about the bird feeding table eating bluetits breakfast
    cammera wheres me cammera

    31 May 2026 08:09:00

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