The underparts and the back are a light grey-fawn in colour with the wings and the feathers of the long (16–20 cm) tail an azure blue.

It inhabits various types of coniferous (mainly pine) and broadleaf forest, including parks and gardens in the eastern populations.

It occurs over a large region of eastern Asia in China, Korea, Japan, and north into Mongolia and southern Siberia.

Their diet consists mainly of acorns (oak seeds) and pine nuts, extensively supplemented by invertebrates and their larvae, soft fruits and berries, and also human-provided scraps in parks and towns.

[4] The voice is a quick fired and metallic sounding kwink-kwink-kwink usually preceded by a single krarrah.