Contour (likely from the alula or primary coverts)

Eurasian Jay

Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae, Genus: Garrulus, Species: glandarius

Family: Corvidae (Crows, Jays, and Magpies)

Shape: Slightly asymmetrical, spatulate with a rounded tip
Size: Approximately 1.5 - 2 cm in length, very small compared to the large wing coverts of the species
Rarity: Common; a very frequent resident in Belgian woodlands

Identify any feather from a photo, free.

Description

A medium-sized, colorful member of the crow family characterized by pinkish-brown plumage and brilliant blue wing patches

Distinctive structural blue with black horizontal barring; the blue is created by light scattering (Tyndall effect)

Densely packed pennaceous barbs at the tip, transitioning to plumulaceous (downy) at the base

Smooth, firm, and slightly glossy due to concentrated structural coloration

Electric blue color with crisp black horizontal 'tiger' barring

Deciduous and mixed woodland, orchards, and increasingly urban parks with mature trees

Widespread across Europe (including Belgium), North Africa, and much of Asia

Primary seed disperser for oak trees and generalist predator/scavenger

None in Belgium; the specific blue-and-black barring is unique to the Eurasian Jay in this region

Eurasian Jays are famous for hoarding acorns, planting thousands of oak trees across Europe every year

Fresh condition with intact barbs and no visible sun bleaching or parasitic wear

Dworp, Belgium