Need help ID'ing this bird

April 16, 2011 11:59 AM

Strange but beautiful large bird - what is it?

I saw this rather large gray/beige bird with bright blue feathers that have black speckles. Had gentle movements, large parrot like black beak. Alighting on a fig tree on numerous occasions, seemed to like whatever was crawling there.
Location - Israel
Time of photograph - March

Is the nest in this photograph related to this bird?

Thanks for your help!

posted by watercarrier to Pets & Animals (7 answers total)

Best answer: It's a Jay, and it's a kind of crow.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 12:07 PM on April 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yup, Eurasian Jay.
posted by rtha at 12:12 PM on April 16, 2011 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Yes - it's an Eurasian Jay - it would seem. Any idea about the nest? Did you say it was a crow's? Thanks so much!
posted by watercarrier at 12:14 PM on April 16, 2011

As far as I know they have fairly standard crow-type nests though; the bowl-shaped sort made of twigs. That nest in your picture looks like some sort of hanging nest, as built by a variety of different birds (for example, some flycatchers); I'm pretty sure it's not a jay's nest.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 12:15 PM on April 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Sorry, I meant that a Jay is a member of the crow family, not that the nest was a crow's nest.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 12:16 PM on April 16, 2011

Response by poster: Kudos to all for the replies. Wow. A Jay. Yay!
posted by watercarrier at 12:18 PM on April 16, 2011

The beak's not at all parrot-like, btw. It just looks that way in the picture because there's a leaf in the background poking out near the tip of it.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:16 PM on April 16, 2011