The Crow Family

Crow (Carrion)

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:57:42 +0000

The Carrion Crow is a medium-sized member of the Crow Family. It can be seen in a variety of places such as city centres, towns, woodlands, moorlands, farmlands, sea cliffs, open fields, parks and gardens. Although Carrion Crows sometimes fly into gardens, they still seem to be quite shy and nervous garden visitors.

The Carrion Crow is an all black bird which means its feathers, beak, legs and feet are all black. In strong light its glossy black feathers have a slight purple or green sheen to them. It can be recognised from other black birds because it has brown coloured eyes and neat little feathers around the base of its beak. The Carrion Crow has a powerful black beak which is slightly curved at the top.

Carrion Crows are sometimes called ‘thieves’ because they steal eggs and chicks from other birds. They also eat mice, voles, worms, beetles, seeds, grain, fruit and even dead animals. Carrion Crows are not as sociable as other members of the Crow family and can be seen flying alone, although pairs are more common. Sometimes Carrion Crows join flocks of Rooks and young Carrion Crows form small flocks in summer before flying off to find homes of their own.

Jackdaw

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:58:44 +0000

The Jackdaw is the smallest member of the Crow family. It can be seen throughout England in woodlands, fields, parks, on sea cliffs and even in towns and cities. Urban Jackdaws can be seen on the tops of roofs where they sometimes build nests in chimney pots. They build their nests near to other nests and by doing so create a loose nesting colony. A colony may be as large as twenty Jackdaws.

The Jackdaw can easily be recognised because it has silvery white coloured eyes and silver-grey feathers on its back and neck. The rest of the body is covered with dark grey feathers which look jet black from a distance. The feathers sometimes have a purple sheen to them.

Rural Jackdaws can often be seen feeding alongside sheep and cattle in fields where they forage the ground for insects, worms, grain and seeds. They sometimes look for eggs, fruit and berries in trees, like urban Jackdaws which also eat insects and worms. Jackdaws are very sociable birds that are often seen together in pairs or flying in large flocks. They are very aerobatic and can perform spectacular deep dives in the sky. On the ground the Jackdaw has a light rapid step and although it appears confident it is considered to be quite a shy garden bird.

Jay

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:59:39 +0000

The Jay is the most colourful member of the Crow family and can be found in woodlands throughout the country. The Jay is also known as the ‘screamer of the wood’ because it can be so loud. Although the Jay is a loud bird, it is actually quite a secretive bird. It likes to live in large mature oak trees because these trees provide good cover for the Jay as well as lots of acorns.

The Jay can easily be recognised by its bright electric-blue and white wings, especially when it is in flight. It also has very pale eyes and a black stripe on either side of its face which makes it look like it has a long moustache. It has a black and white crest which it raises sometimes when excited.

Jays eat acorns and they are natural planters of acorns which help to ensure the future existence of oak trees. They also eat hazelnuts, beechnuts, insects, fruit and birds’ eggs. Jays are also known as hoarders because of their habit of hiding acorns and retrieving them later. The acorns are usually buried in the ground or hidden in tree crevices. A Jay can hide as many as three thousand acorns a month.

Magpie

Debbie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:58:37 +0000

The Magpie is a member of the Crow Family. It can be found throughout the country in a variety of places such as farmlands, moors, fields, towns, cities and gardens. It is often seen in pairs or groups, although sometimes a Magpie can be seen on its own. The name ‘Magpie’ originates from an old word ‘pied’ which just meant ‘black and white’ in the fourteenth century, but nowadays ‘pied’ means ‘patches of different colours’.

The Magpie is a relatively large black and white bird with a wingspan of around ninety centimetres. Sometimes the Magpie’s black feathers look like they have greenish or purplish blue sheen to them, especially in strong light. It has a strong-looking black beak and two black eyes. The top part of its head is quite flat and its black wedge-shaped tail is longer than the length of its body.

Magpies eat fruit, berries, insects, mice, voles, young birds and eggs from nests. They often eat dead animals that have been killed on the road and sometimes they can be seen on the backs of sheep taking out parasites. They are also known for stealing bright objects or clothes pegs in gardens which they take to their nests.

Raven

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:00:33 +0000

The Raven is also known as the Common Raven and is the largest member of the Crow family. Ravens can be seen at the Tower of London, but it is not very common to see Ravens in the centre of cities because they usually live in parks or in large natural spaces not too far away from cities or towns. Most Ravens prefer to live in wooded areas that have large open land nearby or near to coastal cliffs.

The Raven is an all black bird which means its beak, legs and feet are black too. Sometimes the Raven’s black feathers look like they have a purplish or reddish sheen to them, especially in strong light. This black bird can be recognised because it has shaggy feathers on its throat.

Ravens mainly forage the ground for food such as small mammals and dead animals. They also eat insects and blowfly maggots that can be found in dead meat. Ravens are sociable birds that can often be seen flying in pairs or in flocks. Raven flocks are usually family groups which stay together for many years. Ravens tend be to be very aerobatic in the sky and sometimes they will even turn over on their backs to fly.

Rook

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:01:53 +0000

The Rook is a medium-sized member of the Crow family. It can be seen throughout England near open fields, moorlands, farmlands, towns and cities. Rooks are sociable birds that like to build their nests alongside other nests to form a close-knit colony called a ‘rookery’. A rookery can consist of two nests or even two hundred nests.

The Rook has black feathers which sometimes have a purplish or reddish sheen to them, especially in strong light. It also has black legs and feet. It can easily be recognised because it has a bare patch of greyish skin at the base of its beak which develops only after the Rook is six months old. It has a flat forehead which makes the Rook’s head look slightly pointed. When the Rook is excited, it raises the feathers on the top of its head which then makes its head look square-shaped.

Rooks are very sociable birds that can often be seen in pairs or flying in flocks and when they fly they tumble and dive in the air together. They also spend a lot of time on the ground looking for food such as earthworms, beetles, small mammals and grain. They also eat flies, caterpillars, eggs from nests and dead animals.