![]() They have a powerful blunt bill, and a shag of throat feathers called hackles.Ravens are much bigger and chunkier than either crows or rooks (they’re actually bigger than buzzards!) but it can be tricky to judge scale when they’re in flight.Ravens are black but have a glossy metallic sheen to their feathers.You do occasionally see single birds or small groups, particularly in quiet back gardens, where they may come to investigate bird feeders. Rooks are often seen in large flocks together in fields or flying out in small sorties to look for food or mob passing birds of prey. But they will venture into towns if the right habitat is available. Rooks have a strong association with the countryside, and rookeries are a common sight in banks of mature trees between farm fields and in rural villages. Like crows, rooks form long-lasting pair bonds and can live for 20 years. Nests are also lined with moss and leaves, and then up to four eggs are laid, with both parents raising the chicks. They’re early nesters, and from February, rooks can be seen flying back to their rookery carrying comically large sticks as they seek to repair winter damage. Rookeries are often in use for years, sometimes decades indeed, the abandonment of a rookery is seen as an omen of bad luck in countryside lore. These ‘rookeries’ can be very large and distinctive, with the messy nests clearly visible in bare branches over winter. Rooks nest communally in the top branches of mature trees like ash and oak. Like all corvids, rooks are opportunistic, resourceful birds, and they have a broad diet including insects, seeds, small birds and eggs, and small mammals. These groups often perform impressive dusk and dawn displays where they fly around together calling loudly. In winter, rooks can join up with other corvids (particularly jackdaws) to roost together. This behaviour can be a useful distinguishing feature for rooks and crows, particularly in the breeding season, but it’s not definitive, as both species are seen singly and in groups. Rooks are sociable birds and spend much of the year together in big groups, feeding, roosting and even nesting in close quarters. The call is similar to crows, but is usually a bit softer and hoarser, without the ringing clarity of the crow’s ‘caa-caa’. They’re gregarious, nesting, roosting and feeding together all year. ![]() They have a slight wedge-shape to their tales in flight. Rooks tend to appear dishevelled with ruffled plumage and feathers on the legs.The bill is longer and looks pointier than a crow’s bill.In juveniles, the bill is black, so they look more like crows.Adults have a pale grey bill with a distinctive bald patch at the base.Rooks are also big, heavy birds with black plumage, but there is a touch of purple iridescence to their feathers in bright sunshine.Hooded crows and carrion crows do sometimes interbreed resulting in interesting colour variations along the borders of their range. They’re widespread across the UK, except in the north and west of Scotland where they are largely replaced by the distinctive grey and black hooded crow. You’ll also spot them on farmland, moorland, woodland and suburban gardens. They tend to be more secretive about their nests than rooks or magpies, and usually mate for life, which can be up to 20 years.Ĭarrion crows are well adapted to many different habitats and turn up everywhere from big cities to the seaside. They lay up to four eggs, and the chicks are fed by both parents. They build their stick nests in a variety of locations including buildings, cliffs, pylons and trees. They will visit garden feeders, most often making nervous hit-and-run raids on open tables. They’re opportunistic birds and have a broad diet, eating everything from scraps on city streets, through to seeds and fruits, carrion (from where they get their name), eggs and young birds. You do see them in pairs or small groups, and like most corvids, they become a bit more sociable in the winter, even joining mixed flocks of rooks and jackdaws. Their most common call is a loud, harsh ‘caa-caa’ that’s usually repeated several times.Ĭrows are often seen as single birds flying low over fields or gardens, or sitting in trees or on fence posts preening or looking out for their next meal. They fly straight and level with slow wing beats, often quite close to the ground.Ĭrows are noisy birds.They tend to be solitary or in pairs but will also form social groups.Males, females and juveniles all look very similar.Crows are big, heavy birds with black, glossy plumage.
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