Scientific name: Perisoreus infaustus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Jays and Magpies
Field characters. 30 cm. Head with dark sooty brown 'cap' and light buff nasal plumes, chin, and throat; rest of upperparts, breast and inner tail feathers ashy grey, washed tawny; underparts lighter, with fawn tinge on flanks and vent. Outer tail feathers, rump, underwing, undertail coverts and patch on base of primaries on upperwing are orange-fawn. In flight, underwing and undertail region are conspicuous. Outside breeding season confident, showing little fear of man; curious.
Voice. A wide variety of notes: a light "kook-kook", a whistling "wish-ee" and a harsh "cher" regularly heard. Apparently a vocal mimic.
Distribution. A common resident in Scandinavia; the northernmost populations migrate disperse during severe winters.
Habitat. Predominantly dense coniferous woods during breeding season. Nests early, well before snow has melted; outside breeding season often close to human settlements.
Food. Mainly insects, berries and seeds (especially pine seeds), but omnivorous, like all corvids. In particular during winter also takes small mammals, occasionally small birds, and near human settlements also some kitchen offal.