About the Turkestan Ground Jay
The Turkestan ground jay, grey ground jay or Pander's ground-jay is a species of bird in the crow and jay family, Corvidae. It is found in central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. More specifically, they tend to be found in Astragalus, Calligonum and southern Salsola vegetation zones. It is closely related to the Iranian ground jay. Its natural habitat is sandy desert with low shrub cover. It also forages around human settlements and roads.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The Turkestan ground jay is visually similar to the Iranian ground jay, except for its duller, more grayscale coat. 25 cm (9.8 in) in length, it has beige-grey upperparts, head, and neck, with a black patch on the throat. They also have a small black patch between their eyes and their black beak, which is slightly decurved.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Turkestan Ground Jay lives
When to see the Turkestan Ground Jay
Peak activity in May · a passage migrant species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Iranian Ground JayPodoces pleskeiAround 24 cm (9.4 in) in length, with sandy beige feathers on the back, neck and upperparts, fading to off-white around the throat and breast.
Xinjiang Ground JayPodoces biddulphiThe xinjiang ground jay is beige with partly black and white wings and a black cap.
Mongolian Ground JayPodoces hendersoniThe bird is 28 cm (11 in) in length, with sandy-beige upperparts, off-white breast, and iridescent dark blue on the secondary feathers, and on the tips of the primary feathers.
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