Plain-crowned Jay

The plain-crowned jay, or Himalayan jay, is a form of the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius bispecularis) found in the forests of the Himalaya from Kashmir to Nepal. It is one of about 30 described forms of the Eurasian jay, and some authorities merge the form persaturatus with it, so its limits are not fixed (BirdForum).

John Gould described it in the 19th century as pale rufous with a white rump and vent, black wings and tail, and a barred wing patch of alternating light blue and black stripes, and said it was confined to the wooded line of the Himalaya. It gives grating, crow-like calls and has been recorded at forest edges, and an old museum record comes from near Kathmandu (BirdForum; Gould).