Lidth's jay
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Lidth’s jay buries acorns in the ground in autumn to store food for winter.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Lidth's jay
- Scientific name
- Garrulus lidthi
- Japanese name
- ルリカケス
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Garrulus
It is endemic to Japan, living on a limited number of islands in the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture.
Although it is a member of the crow family, it is about the size of a pigeon. True to its name, ruri (lapis lazuli), it has beautiful blue feathers.
It eats small animals as well as chinquapin nuts and acorns. Outside the breeding season it lives in flocks.
How the Lidth's jay lives
It lives in evergreen broadleaf forests and is sometimes seen on farmland or coasts. From winter into spring, it builds a nest in places such as tree hollows and lays eggs. It has been observed using more green acorns than brown ones when feeding.
上野動物園The Ornithological Society of JapanBasic data
- Size
- Total length: about 38 cm
- Weight
- about 170–200 g
- Diet
- Acorns, fruit, insects, amphibians and reptiles, small mammals, and other foods
- Range
- Amami Oshima, Kakeroma, Uke, and Edeteku islands
Where the Lidth's jay has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ルリカケス
- 简体中文
- 琉球松鸦
- 繁體中文
- 琉球松鴉
- 한국어
- 유리어치
- Español
- Arrendajo de Lidth
- Français
- Geai de Lidth
- Deutsch
- Prachthäher
- Português (Brasil)
- Gaio-de-amami
- Italiano
- Ghiandaia di Lidth
- العربية
- قيق لدث
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Celung lidth
- Русский
- Украшенная сойка
- Türkçe
- Lidth alakargası
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ルリカケスChecked: 2026-11-03
- 平川動物公園 — ルリカケスChecked: 2026-11-05
- The Ornithological Society of Japan — Acorn Foraging Behavior of Lidth’s Jays Garrulus lidthi during the Ripening Process of AcornsChecked: 2026-11-06
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Lidth's jay, look for this
- Watch for it calling “gyaa-gyaa” or “myuu” to communicate with others far away.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
平川動物公園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Lidth's jay
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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Others in Corvidae
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