Siberian Jay

The Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus) is a small jay with a widespread distribution within the coniferous forests in North Eurasia. It has grey-brown plumage with a darker brown crown and a paler throat. It is rusty-red in a panel near the wing-bend, on the undertail coverts and on the sides of the tail. The sexes are similar. Although its habitat is being fragmented, it is a common bird with a very wide range so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". The Siberian jay is the smallest of the western Palearctic corvids, measuring about 30 centimetres in length. The adult plumage is greyish brown, with a dark brown head, paler forehead and buff breast. The rump is yellowish and the chin and throat are grey. There is also rufous streaking on the outer feathers, and the bill and legs are black. Their overall colouration is fairly inconspicuous to visually conceal them from predators within their forest habitat. Siberian jays appear to be specially adapted to navigate in flight through dense forest despite being rather cumbersome flyers across open terrain. This may explain their vulnerability to predation by raptors outside forests.