It has pinkish brown plumage with a black stripe on each side of a whitish throat, a bright blue panel on the upper wing and a black tail. With a length of 34–35 cm and a wingspan of 52–58 cm

It will imitate the calls of birds of prey such as the mew of the common buzzard and the cackle of the northern goshawk. Both sexes will help build the nest which is usually placed in a branch fork of a tree about two to five metres above the ground.

Jays will normally inhabit mixed woodland, particularly with oaks. In recent years, the bird has begun to migrate into urban areas, possibly as a result of continued erosion of its woodland habitat. Jays have been recorded carrying single acorns as far as 20 km, and are credited with the rapid northward spread of oaks following the last ice age.