January

Jackdaw

Sneaky thief, commonly seen popping down chimneys, breaking into bird feeders and stealing other birds’ eggs

Happy New Year, another fresh start to the year and it seems that the older I get, the quicker the years go, as it doesn’t feel like five minutes ago I was writing the SOTM January 2024 edition!

I tend to write about species that I have either seen or want to know more about, but I thought I’d write about a common species that I see frequently, but is somewhat overlooked as I generally don’t really think too much about in the hope that I find out something new! So here goes: the jackdaw (Coloeus monedula).

Jackdaws are corvids, which are a group of birds all belonging to the Corvidae family, sometimes called the crow family. There are eight species of corvids found in the British Isles – carrion crow, hooded crow, jackdaw, rook, raven, jay, magpie and choughs. The first five of these belong to the Corvus genus, which is the largest group in the Corvidae family. The magpie, jay and chough are in the Pica, Garrulus and Pyrrhocorax genera respectively.

Corvids have a reputation for being intelligent birds, with various species having been shown to be able to use tools, recognise themselves in the mirror, being aware that they may be being watched, and remember human faces.

The jackdaw is one of the smaller corvids, with a wingspan of about 70cm and weighing only 220g. They are grey-black colour, with a short chunky bill, a grey ‘shawl’ around the back of the head, with a black face and cap and striking eyes, which makes them different to their relatives, as jackdaws have blue-grey eyes as juveniles that turn to bright white as they mature.

Researchers at Cambridge and Exeter University have discovered that jackdaws use their eyes to communicate with each other – the first time this has been shown in non-primates. The study shows that jackdaw eyes are used as a warning signal to successfully deter competitors from coming near their nest boxes.

Jackdaws are birds of woodland, parkland, coasts and urban areas, and not often seen too far from villages, towns and cities. They nest in holes in trees, and on cliffs and buildings; sometimes they will even nest in chimneys, and I have seen many nesting in owl boxes in my time at the GWCT! Their diet consists of invertebrates, fruit, seeds, carrion, and eggs and nestlings of other birds. They are a sociable bird and are often seen in flocks, and will also join with flocks of rooks, often performing aerial acrobatics or repeating its short, loud ‘kya!’ and ‘tchack!’ call.

Collective noun – Clattering, train, band, party and cast

Jackdaws are widespread, found throughout Western Europe and the Western portions of Asia and Russia, but absent from the far north-west of Scotland. They mate for life, pairing up during their first year, but not mating until the year after. You can often spot a pair, as they generally sit next to each other, preening.

Did you know?

The common name of the jackdaw probably comes from two separate words: ‘jack’ meaning rogue (it is a well-known thief) and ‘daw’, which is an imitation of its call. However, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary explains that one of the meanings of ‘jack’ is a smaller version of an animal or bird, for example the jack snipe.

The earliest known use of the noun jackdaw is in the early 1500s.

Jackdaws are frequently associated with foolishness in literature and folklore. In several of Aesop’s Fables, the jackdaw is used as an example of unwise behaviour, often overcome with vanity and greed. An old saying believed to have originated in Ancient Greece states that: “The swans will speak when the jackdaws are silent.” This phrase means that the wise wait to speak up until the foolish have finished yammering.

Let’s finish with an Aesop’s Fable taken out of my tatty childhood book…

A jackdaw chanced to fly over the garden of the King’s palace. There he saw with much wonder and envy a flock of royal peacocks in all the glory of their splendid plumage.

Now the black jackdaw was not a very handsome bird, nor very refined in manner. Yet he imagined that all he needed to make himself fit for the society of the peacocks was a dress like theirs. So he picked up some cast off feathers of the peacocks and stuck them among his own black plumes.

Dressed in his borrowed finery he strutted loftily among the birds of his own kind. Then he flew down into the garden among the peacocks. But they soon saw who he was. Angry at the cheat, they flew at him, plucking away the borrowed feathers and also some of his own.

The poor jackdaw returned sadly to his former companions. There another unpleasant surprise awaited him. They had not forgotten his superior airs toward them, and, to punish him, they drove him away with a rain of pecks and jeers.

Borrowed feathers do not make fine birds.