The jackdaw is a small bird with black plumage that has a metallic tint. Only her head and chest are ash-gray. In appearance it is very similar to a crow, but its size is noticeably smaller: its body is about 30 centimeters long, and its weight rarely exceeds 250 grams. Adult birds have light eyes, sometimes blue, while young birds have dark eyes. The beak and legs are black.

The jackdaw is a sociable bird; from early spring to late autumn they fly with rooks. Following tractors together during spring plowing, the birds search for insects and their larvae in the ground. In the summer, teaming up with rooks and starlings, jackdaws fly to mown meadows and harvested fields in search of food.

In the fall, after the rooks have left, they join together and spend the night in trees in courtyards and in city parks. In the morning they fly outside the city to landfills or fields, where they feed. IN winter time waste from garbage dumps plays important role in their nutrition, and sometimes help them survive.

How to distinguish by trace

The jackdaw bird leaves a mark similar to that of a crow, but noticeably smaller. By size

Their paw prints are more likely to be confused with magpie tracks. But the magpie mainly jumps, and the jackdaw strides springily, while focusing on its fingers. Therefore, the average plantar callus is not always well imprinted on the tracks.

Its toes are somewhat thick, with shorter nails. This affects the length of the print, which is shorter than that of a magpie. The length of the step is about 15 centimeters, and the width of the trail is almost 5 centimeters.

Features of behavior

The jackdaw is a bird that does not destroy other people's nests, unlike its friends the crows. Destroying large number insect pests, these representatives of the avian world bring significant benefits to people. In some cases, in search of food, they can cause significant damage to vegetable gardens and melons. But this is not out of harm, I just want to eat.

The main places of distribution are cities and large towns. They are less common on rocky areas of coastlines, and are also rarely found in forests. The jackdaw is a bird that nests near human dwellings: under the eaves of houses, in attics, in the voids of buildings. Sometimes she makes a nest for herself in the hollow of an old tree.

Nesting

They live in separate pairs or small flocks. They often create joint colonies with rooks. They begin to build nests later than their neighbors, in the first ten days of April. The house is built in pairs, first carrying dry twigs, and then rags and paper to line the tray.

The jackdaw is a bird that lays eggs in the first half of May. There can be from 3 to 7 of them in a nest. The eggs may be bluish-green or light blue in color, with greenish-brown spots. Incubation lasts 18 days. The hatched chicks stay in the nest for another month.

Jackdaw - migrant?

They live in Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Birds nesting in the northern regions of Eurasia are migratory; in October they fly south, winter in China, and return back in February. In Europe, in the Caucasus, the jackdaw lives as a sedentary. But in winter, sometimes in these places the birds move within the nesting area.

Jackdaws are those birds that did not fly to warmer climes and remained to spend the winter with us. By the way, they are quite good weather forecasters. So, if jackdaws gather in large flocks and scream loudly, then in the fall it will be a fine day, and in winter the cry of a jackdaw means frost.

If, settling down for the night, they sit down at random - some with their heads in one direction, some in the other - you can relax: the night will be windless and warm.

Jackdaw - Corvus monedula - a widespread bird of the raven family. This bird is considered the most graceful representative of the “black family” - the genus Corvus, the head of which is the raven himself. In size it is smaller not only than a crow, but also a rook - 35-40 cm.

The plumage of jackdaws is black, the wings and tail have a bluish metallic tint, and the back has a slight grayish tint.

The underparts of the bird are black and gray. The back of the neck, chest, back of the head and sides of the head are light gray, the sides of the neck are whitish-ashy, the chest is gray or silver-gray.

Most adult jackdaws have a "half collar" white. It looks like a tie on a learned bird.

Females and males are almost identically colored. Juvenile jackdaws are a dull, smoky gray color.

Jackdaws are distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Russia. Jackdaws can be found in many countries and on many continents, including Asia and North Africa.

Interestingly, jackdaws living in the Alps, Pyrenees, Caucasus, Altai and northern Africa have completely black plumage, but a yellow beak and pink paws.

Scientists believe that globe approximately 8-16 million jackdaws live

Jackdaws living in Europe are usually sedentary and constantly stay in the same area, but jackdaws living in the north and east migrate during the cold season, wintering in the south.

Thus, regular flights of jackdaws are observed in Western Siberia, in Altai and in a number of other regions with cold winter.

Jackdaws can hardly be called villagers; they settle, as a rule, in cities or urban-type settlements, preferring old stone buildings, water towers, and bell towers.

However, they can also be found on rocky coasts, in sparse forests where old thick trees with hollows grow, in gardens and parks.

Jackdaws choose a partner at a young age and for life.

Jackdaws place their nests in tree hollows, in rooks' nests, in crevices between rocks, in voids between stones and in the voids of buildings, under the eaves of houses, in chimneys and even behind shop signs. Typically, jackdaws return to the same nest every year and use it for a number of years.

Jackdaws nest not alone, but in groups, from two pairs to two dozen families. The male and female build and repair the nest together.

The clutch contains 5-7 eggs of a bluish-green color with brown spots. Only the female incubates the clutch for 18-22 days.

IN middle lane In Russia, the first chicks appear in late April - early May.

The mixture is washed and filled with water for the whole day, in the morning the water is changed and left overnight, and only the next morning, after washing again, the mixture is given to the jackdaw.

Jackdaws learn to speak best from female voice.

The easiest way to make friends with a jackdaw is for those who live in a private house or all year round outside the city at the dacha.

Such semi-tame jackdaws feel great and delight the people who care for them.

Jackdaw / Coloeus monedula

It is more numerous within the cultural landscape than outside it. The jackdaw cannot be considered a true sedentary bird. In the European part of the country, some birds stay in the nesting area all year round, while the majority migrate to more southern areas. At the same time, birds from the northern regions fly to the middle zone, and those inhabiting the middle zone fly to the southern regions. Regular flights are observed in Western Siberia, Altai and a number of other parts of the range. Jackdaws do not begin breeding very early. Full clutches in the southern parts of the range are observed from the first half of April, and in the northern parts - from mid-May and later. Jackdaw nests are placed in a wide variety of places: under the eaves of houses, in cracks and voids of buildings, in chimneys, behind store signs, in tree hollows, in holes and crevices of banks and rocks, in voids between stones, etc., and sometimes in rook nests and roller burrows. The same nest is used for several years in a row. Nests are located in small groups of 2-3 or dozens. Both sexes take part in the construction of a new nest and the repair of an old one. The clutch usually consists of 4-6, sometimes 7, bluish-green eggs with brownish spots concentrated at the blunt end. The female incubates for 18-20 days. Chicks appear on average from the end of April in the south, from the second half of May in the middle zone. Chicks emerge at different latitudes from late May to late June - early July. After departure, jackdaws migrate in broods. In the second half of summer, they gather in flocks of hundreds and often lead a nomadic lifestyle together with rooks. Autumn migration occurs in November. In winter in major cities large flocks of jackdaws accumulate, which, together with crows, stay here until spring, flying in the mornings to the outskirts of the city and to the suburbs to feed, and in the evenings returning to the city to spend the night. The feeding pattern of the jackdaw is similar to that of the rook. In her stomach they found leaf beetles, ground beetles, elephant beetles, darkling beetles, beetles, gold beetles, and dipterous insects. By exterminating harmful insects, it brings undoubted benefits to agriculture.

Alpine jackdaw / Pyrrhocorax graculus

Daurian jackdaw / Coloeus dauricus

Field signs. The color is black, grayish on the neck. Jackdaw and smaller in size than a crow. The body is dense, the beak is relatively short. The voice is pleasant - “ke-ke-ke” or “gal-ka... gal-ka.” Often jackdaws can be found near human habitation - in villages, in cities, especially in the cold season, when they gather in huge flocks and lead a nomadic lifestyle, meeting in fields, on roads, etc. places. Before the rooks fly away, they roam with them. The jackdaw walks and jumps very well. In winter, they roam with crows in tall trees, gardens and parks.

Area. Europe and Asia. In Norway and Sweden it goes up to about 64°, in Finland slightly north of 61° N. w. In the USSR it breeds north to Kem (flies to Kildin Island). Further, the northern border passes at Semzha and Mezen (Gladkov, 1951), through Ust-Tsylma, at Pechora it sharply descends lower to the northern parts of the middle. Urals (Syktyvkar, Berezovo, Cherdyn). From the Trans-Urals to the Yenisei, the northern border of the range requires additional clarification. Further to the east, the jackdaw is distributed north to the Zima region (Irkutsk region), the northern extremities of Lake Baikal, Olekminsk, the middle reaches of the Zeya, and the lower reaches of the Uda.

To the south from the border outlined above it goes to Morocco, northern Algeria, southern Italy and Sicily, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, northern Kashmir, Tibet, Mongolia. China.

Nature of stay. In the west and south - the jackdaw is a partly sedentary, partly migratory bird; in the north and east it is a breeding and migratory bird. In particular, East Siberian jackdaws appear in large numbers in eastern China in winter. In the European part of its range it occurs all year round. In Central Asia and the Caucasus, the jackdaw lives sedentary. But in winter, in some places and here, the movement of jackdaws within the nesting area has been noted.

Biotope. Cultural landscape; gardens and parks, adobe and station buildings, church bell towers and water towers. It also willingly settles outside cultivated areas - in the mountains and in coastal (rocky, loess) cliffs of river valleys, in forests and tugai forests, and also in ruins. In winter, jackdaws approach human habitation, accumulate near villages, and are found along roads, in landfills and near garbage dumps.

Vertically, the jackdaw goes from lowlands to 1000-1200 m, sometimes up to 2000 m (Tajikistan), 1500 m (Altai), 2500 m (Semirechye).

Number. The jackdaw is a common bird. Birds are more numerous within the cultural landscape than outside it. More numerous in the European part of the range than in Eastern Siberia. In Central Asia, the distribution is sporadic.

Subspecies and varying characters. The subspecies differ in coloration details, particularly in Eastern Europe and Western Siberia, Western Asia, individuals with a noticeable white “collar” predominate or are at least numerous; East Asian jackdaws, which were often considered a special species, are sharply different in color; They are dimorphic, except for birds of a gray color, “piebald” ones are often found. There are also ecological differences in the nature of their stay, details of nesting life, etc. 3 subspecies.

Reproduction. Puberty occurs at the age of two years, but in some cases at about a year of age. The pairs are permanent. In the same area, the breeding dates of jackdaws vary from year to year due to general meteorological conditions. Regarding the latitudinal difference in the breeding dates of jackdaws, there are the following general instructions: in the southern part of the range - clutches start from the 10th of April, in central Russia - at different times in April and the first ten days of May (Menzbier, 1895); in the more northern parts of the range (Scandinavia) - from the third week of May and later (Witherby, 1938).

Jackdaw nests are located in a variety of places - in tree hollows (linden, willow, beech, pyramidal poplar, turanga, juniper, etc.), in holes and crevices along the banks of river valleys, in cracks in rocks and stone outcrops, in voids formed by from piles of fragments of stones, under the eaves of houses, in destroyed buildings, in the walls of adobe buildings, in the frames of metal spans of railway bridges, on church bell towers, under a canopy water tower, in a chimney, in cities behind various signs (of stores). Jackdaws also nest in old rook buildings and in roller burrows. The same nest is used for several years in a row. They nest in small groups of 2-3 pairs or dozens; for example, in the lower reaches or in one colony there were 20-30 pairs of jackdaws. Jackdaws often nest in a mixed colony with rooks, pigeons, kestrels, and falcons. Both the female and the male take part in the construction of a new nest and the repair of an old one.

The nest in hollows and crevices consists of thin twigs with a bedding of feathers, rags, wool, paper, plant debris, etc. In the lower reaches or nests of jackdaws were placed in deep hollows of turangas with a wide flight hole at various heights from the ground - a meter, more often 4-5 m (Dolgushin), sometimes near the ground (Zarudny, 1888). In the case where jackdaws use a rook's nest, it is carefully lined with a bedding of feathers, wool, etc.

The clutch usually consists of 4-6 eggs, often 7, sometimes 3; There are also indications of the presence of 8-9 eggs in the clutch. The interval between egg laying is 24 hours. The female incubates after laying all the eggs for 18-20 days. If the first clutch dies, a second clutch occurs, usually with a reduced number of eggs. The color of the eggs is bluish-green with greenish-brown spots; These spots are concentrated mostly at the blunt end of the egg. Dimensions: 25 eggs (5 clutches) 32.7-39.2x24.2-26.0 mm (Syr-Darya, Spangenberg, 1941); sizes of eggs found in Belarus: 32-36.5x23-26 mm (Shnitnikov, 1913); weight of two eggs: 0.95 and 0.93 g (Johansen, 1907).

If we do not take into account the secondary belated clutches, then we can say that the chicks hatch from the end of April in the south, in the middle zone - from the second half of May. However, fluctuations in withdrawal times can be significant. Departure of the young occurs in mid-June (Belarus), between June 8-13 (Smolensk region), June 5 (Oka), at the end of May (Chkalovsk region), in mid-May (Azerbaijan). The number of chicks in broods is apparently less than the number of eggs - usually 3-4. After departure, they roam in broods. In the second half of summer (from August), jackdaws gather in flocks of hundreds and often lead a nomadic lifestyle together with rooks.

Shedding. Partial molting in young ones occurs between June and September. The full annual period for adult birds is between July and September.

Nutrition. It often feeds together with rooks, forming numerous common flocks with them; in winter they feed together with crows in garbage dumps and landfills. The food consumed is, in general, the same as that of the rook. Of the 14 stomachs of jackdaws (11 young and 3 adult birds), 4 (28.6%) contained exclusively remains animal food(mainly beetles), in 10 stomachs (71.4%) - mixed food. The analysis showed that jackdaws feed on leaf beetles (56.8%), ground beetles (36.5%), elephant beetles (36.5%), darkling beetles (21.3%), click beetles (7.1%), dung beetles and Khrushchev (7.1%) and goldfish (7.1%). Among the animal foods, larvae of dipterans and egg shells were also found in these stomachs. Plant food was represented by grains of oats, lentils, vetch and peas (Zubarev). The extermination of harmful insects brings undoubted benefits for agriculture. Grains are collected in piles in former stacks (oats), in old threshing grounds (lentils and oats) and in fields (lentils, peas). No digging of potatoes by jackdaws was observed (Kustanay region). Jackdaws, like rooks, damage melons and garden crops. Jackdaw chicks are fed, in particular, with May beetles (Kuban). After the chicks have fledged, they feed in the fields, steppes and meadows, while additional feeding of the young continues (since June 15 in the Oksky Nature Reserve, Ptushenko).

It is noticeably smaller in size than the rook and crow - it weighs 150–250 g, body length is up to 30 cm. The color of the plumage is black, with a metallic sheen, the head and chest are silver-gray. The eyes of adult birds are light blue, while those of young birds are dark. Legs and beak are black.

Most common in cities and large towns. Less commonly inhabits rocky areas of coasts and sparse forests with old trees. The nest is often made in human buildings: under the eaves of houses, in cracks and voids of buildings, in chimneys, behind store signs. Sometimes in hollow trees in parks. The eggs are bluish-green with greenish-brown spots, 3–7 eggs per clutch.

They are omnivores, eat insects (destroy many pests), worms, seeds of some plants, human food waste, carrion, and destroy the nests of small birds.

They are easily tamed - if you take a blind chick and raise it in captivity, the grown bird will not even consider other jackdaws as its relatives and strives to communicate only with humans. The jackdaw's voice is a sonorous "kau" or "kya".