Xinjiang ground jay
(Redirected from
Biddulph's ground jay
)
| Xinjiang ground jay | |
|---|---|
| |
| Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans in 1891 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Corvidae |
| Genus: | Podoces |
| Species: | P. biddulphi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Podoces biddulphi Hume, 1874
| |
Xinjiang ground jay (Podoces biddulphi) or Biddulph's ground jay, is a species of
endemic to China
. It is not larger than an adult human's hand and has a brownish white coat of feathers.
Since 2004, the
Near Threatened" due to habitat fragmentation and degradation.[1] Its population is small, and its range is limited.[2]
Breeding
The breeding season lasts from March to May.[2] Females incubate clutches of 1-3 eggs for 18 days[2] in open[3] 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.[2]
Parents share feeding duties.[2]
Xinjiang ground jays are monogamous. They exhibit sexual dimorphism, and males are larger than females.[2]
They are sometimes attracted to human-influenced areas such as highways,[4] but prefer not to nest near them.[5]