Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius (protonym, Corvus glandarius), also known as European jay, acorn jay, black-throated jay, common jay, red-crowned jay, white-eared jay or simply as the jay, photographed at Taiching, Taiwan.
Image: Marie Louise Ng, 6 May 2011 [velociraptorize].
Nikon D7000
Question: This Taiwanese mystery bird has a very large range but local populations look different. This species has a special talent that is found in many of its relatives and in at least one other (unrelated) group of birds -- what is that talent? What other types of birds possess this talent?
Response: This is an adult Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius, a member of the corvid family.
This jay species has a very large range that extends from western Europe to southeast Asia and into northwestern Africa. Currently, there are 33 formally recognised subspecies, which are recognisably distinct and are placed into one of eight groups.
These birds, like most corvids, are talented mimics, a talent they share with the mynahs and starlings and many parrot species. Here is a video of one individual in Jordan imitating a house cat:
You are invited to review all of the daily mystery birds by going to their dedicated graphic index page.
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