A beige ground jay with partly black and white wings, a black cap and a white tail, which gives the Chinese name; the sharp bill curves downward, with a black moustache running up from under it to the cap. Deep brown eyes. Not much larger than an adult's hand.
Habitat
Temperate desert: dunes, poplar groves and tamarisk at the edge of the Taklamakan, running on the ground to feed and caching food in the sand.
Distribution
Endemic to China, confined to the Tarim Basin of western and central Xinjiang; listed as near threatened by the IUCN since 2004 for habitat fragmentation and degradation, with a small population and limited range. Absent from Japan and Singapore.
Season and behaviour
Resident, seen all year; most active at dawn on dunes and at the edge of poplar groves; breeds from April to June.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
Search slowly by car along desert road edges; the chance comes when it stops on a dune crest or poplar branch to look about. The white tail shows most on take-off and when running, at 1/2000 s. A beige bird on sand depends on outline, so use low morning or evening light. A Chinese endemic and near threatened: never chase it and waste its energy for a picture.
Field ethics: keep a distance at which the bird does not change its behaviour; never approach or publish nest sites; no baiting, playback or flash; never clear vegetation around a nest; follow reserve rules and stay on paths.
Photographic styles
A beige bird among poplars and dunes; the flash of a white tail.
Similar species
Mongolian ground jay (black tail, blue in the wing, northern and eastern Xinjiang).
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. No photographs yet: only photos cleared for commercial use with credit will be added.
