Jay
Coloeus monedula
Jay - OE higera
The name (pronounced hi-y-era) is probably onomatopoeic, and in this respect the name corresponds to hragra, the name for a grey heron with its similarly rasping call. The name also seems to have applied to the magpie (once again, a similar call). Jays (and magpies) were known in the Middle Ages for their cleverness and mimicking capabilities (there’s an Old English riddle on the jay/magpie in which the bird tells us all the other animals sounds it can imitate). Perhaps somewhat strangely, higera doesn’t appear in any place-names other than one reference in a charter to a hingran hongran ‘jay/magpie’s hanging woodland’ (Cholsey and Moulsford, Oxon, 9th cen.) See also the entry for ‘magpie’ on this website.
Hingran hongran, a landmark described in a 9th cen. charter
Sources (see ‘About’ page for the full bibliography): Hooke, ‘Birds, Beasts’; langscape.org.uk.