Lidth's Jay

Lidth's Jay (Garrulus lidthi) is a large jay with a stout bill, velvety black head, deep purplish-blue back and rich chestnut-purple underparts. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is restricted to Amami Oshima and Kakeromajima in Japan's Ryukyu Islands, where it inhabits forest and feeds on acorns, fruit, insects and small animals. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).