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Eurasian Jackdaw

Corvus monedulaOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Crows and Jays (Corvidae)

Eurasian Jackdaw Breeding Male Portrait
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General

Eurasian Jackdaw: Small, black crow with glossy blue-black metallic sheen on back and shoulders. Nape and ear patches are gray, eyes are pale gray, and bill is short and pointed. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Eurasian Jackdaw: Accidental to casual in southeastern Canada and northeastern U.S. Found in both town and country, and is often seen around churches and old buildings; resident on farmlands and in towns and parks.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"chack", "kow", "kyow"

Interesting Facts

 The Eurasian Jackdaw is one of the smallest species in the genus of crows and ravens.

 In some cultures, a Jackdaw on the roof is said to predict a new arrival; alternatively, a Jackdaw settling on the roof of a house is an omen of death and coming across one is considered a bad omen.

 Aesop wrote four fables about Jackdaws: The Eagle and the Jackdaw, The Vain Jackdaw, The Escaped Jackdaw, and The Jackdaw and the Pigeon.

 A group of jackdaws are collectively known as a "flock" and a "train" of jackdaws.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Eurasian Jackdaw
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Crows and Ravens (Corvidae)_blue
Species Corvus monedula
Length13 Inches
Wingspan17.5 Inches

Eurasian Jackdaw

Eurasian Jackdaw: Small, black crow with glossy blue-black metallic sheen on back and shoulders. Nape and ear patches are gray, eyes are pale gray, and bill is short and pointed. Feeds on insects, amphibians, reptiles, rodents, eggs and young of other birds, seeds, fruits and berries.

● Song: "chack", "kow", "kyow"

● Foraging & Feeding: Eurasian Jackdaw: Eats seeds, fruits, berries, large insects, small reptiles, amphibians, small rodents, and eggs and nestlings of other birds. Forages in open and cultivated country; hops on branches in trees.

● Breeding & nesting: Eurasian Jackdaw: Four to six pale blue-green or buff eggs with fine brown dots are laid in a nest made of twigs and grass, lined with finer grass and wool, and built in a tree hole, cliff ridge, burrow, crevice, or pipe. Incubation ranges from 18 to 19 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Eurasian Jackdaw: No other black bird, and especially no other crow in North America, has combination of pale eyes and gray nape and ear patches.

Flight Pattern

Flies with somewhat jerky buoyant wing beats. Glides between perches within trees, and from perch to ground.
Eurasian Jackdaw Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Eurasian Jackdaw: Accidental to casual in southeastern Canada and northeastern U.S. Found in both town and country, and is often seen around churches and old buildings; resident on farmlands and in towns and parks.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester or colonial
PopulationAccidental to casual
MigrationNorthern birds migrate
Weight8.6 Ounces