Garrulus
| Garrulus | ||||||||||||
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Jay ( Garrulus lanceolatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Garrulus | ||||||||||||
| Brisson , 1760 |
The genus Garrulus is a three species comprehensive group of species of quite large, forest-dwelling jays in the family of corvids (Corvidae). One species occurs in large parts of Eurasia , the other two in fairly limited areas in Asia .
description
The three jays are medium-sized corvids of about 32–38 cm in length. They have conspicuously light blue and black banded feathers on their wings , hand and large arm covers. Sometimes there are also blue-black banded areas on wing and tail feathers. The body plumage is reddish gray-brown to dark brown or chestnut brown. The crown feathers are elongated and form a hood that is different in shape and can sometimes be raised. The broad wings are of medium length, the beak is strong like the feet. The length of the tail is graded in the three species, from a medium-long tail for the jay to a long tail for the royal jay.
distribution
The distribution of the genus is limited to the Old World . The jay inhabits large parts of Europe, the far north of Africa and parts of the Middle East and Asia. Above all, it inhabits richly structured forests of almost all kinds. The jay occurs in the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas from eastern Afghanistan to Nepal , where it lives in open woodland or bushy slopes with isolated trees between 1500 and 2400 m altitude. The blue jay is endemic to the Ryūkyū Islands , where it was once native to Amami-Ōshima and Tokunoshima , but was exterminated on the latter island due to spring trade at the beginning of the 20th century. He lives in subtropical woodlands.
Way of life
The species of the genus Garrulus are omnivores, but they mainly collect nuts from trees, such as acorns, and use them to build supplies. The nests are usually created freely in trees, the jay sometimes breeds, the blue jay prefers in tree and half-hollows.
Systematics
The genus Garrulus was separated from the genus Corvus by Brisson in 1760 . Today, the species of the previously monotypic genera Laletris Reichenow , 1906 (Strichelhäher) and Lalocitta Reichenow , 1906 (Prachthäher) placed in this genus. The two Asiatic species of jay and jay are closely related and apparently allospecies of a superspecies or form the subgenus Lalocitta . With the jay, which is divided into eight megasubspecies and with which the jay also occurs sympatric, they form a species group.
species
- Eurasian Jay ( Garrulus glandarius )
- Jay ( Garrulus lanceolatus )
- Jay ( Garrulus lidthi )
literature
- Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim , KM Bauer : Handbook of the birds of Central Europe (HBV). Volume 13 / III: Passeriformes. 4th part: Corvidae - Sturnidae- AULA-Verlag, ISBN 3-923527-00-4 .
- András Keve : The jay. (= Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei. Volume 410). 4th, unchanged edition, reprint of the 3rd edition. A. Ziemsen Verlag, Wittenberg Lutherstadt 1985, ISBN 3-89432-211-X ).
