Black-headed Jay

About the Black-headed Jay

The black-headed jay or lanceolated jay (Garrulus lanceolatus) is a species of passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae. It is found in open wooded country across the Himalayas and into eastern Afghanistan. A relatively large songbird, it has a largely grey body with a black head, an untidy crest, white streaks on the throat, and a pale bill. It is roughly the same size as its close relative the Eurasian jay, but a little more slender overall.

The black-headed jay was formally described by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1830. It is one of three species placed in the genus Garrulus that was established in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The genus name Garrulus is a Latin word meaning "chattering", "babbling" or "noisy". The specific epithet lanceolatus is Latin for "lance-shaped" or "spear-shaped", from lancea meaning "lance".

The black-headed jay is roughly the same size as its close relative the Eurasian jay, but a little more slender overall. The head is mostly black with white streaks on the throat and a more obvious crest compared to the Eurasian jay. The bill is pale and slightly shorter and thicker compared... Wikipedia →