THE OAK FARMER
An autumnal walk, trees a kaleidoscope of reds, yellows and oranges, the sweet smell of decay in the air. A rasping screech breaks the moment, a harsh call of annoyance as a flash of white scuds through the trees – the woodland crow has taken flight.
Despite being pink, punky and loud, the jay is a secretive bird, a wary woodland specialist, whose Latin name, Garrulus glandarius, roughly translates as ‘chattering acorn gatherer’. A member of the corvid family, the jay’s pink, blue and white feathers are a flamboyant burst of colour, reflecting a different genetic make-up to its more sombre-suited cousins, such as the crow, rook and jackdaw.
Like so many corvids, the jay has been indiscriminately persecuted as a pest for centuries, but it is now being hailed as the new champion of reforestation
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