Xinjiang ground jay explained

Xinjiang ground jay (Podoces biddulphi) or Biddulph's ground jay, is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to China. It is not larger than an adult human's hand and has a brownish white coat of feathers.

Since 2004, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the jay's conservation status as "Near Threatened" due to habitat fragmentation and degradation. Its population is small, and its range is limited.^[1]

Breeding

The breeding season lasts from March to May. Females incubate clutches of 1-3 eggs for 18 days in open^[2] nests; they mainly incubate in the morning, and spend more time doing so if temperatures are low. When temperatures are high, they also shade the clutch. They prefer to nest toward the center of oases.

Parents share feeding duties.

Xinjiang ground jays are monogamous. They exhibit sexual dimorphism, and males are larger than females.

They are sometimes attracted to human-influenced areas such as highways,^[3] but prefer not to nest near them.

Notes and References

1. Wang . Kechun . Tong . Yuping . Xu . Wenxuan . Blank . David . Yang . Weikang . Xu . Feng . November 2023 . Breeding biology of the Xinjiang ground-jay Podoces biddulphi in the Taklimakan Desert, NW China . Global Ecology and Conservation . 47 . e02690 . 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02690 . 2351-9894. free .
2. Web site: Figure 1: Variation in egg reflectance under five treatments over 7 days. . 10.7717/peerj.11725/fig-1 . free .
3. Bunce . R.G.H. . Bogers . M.M.B. . Evans . D. . Jongman . R.H.G. . October 2013 . Field identification of habitats directive Annex I habitats as a major European biodiversity indicator . Ecological Indicators . 33 . 105–110 . 10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.10.004 . 1470-160X.