Field guide · common
Jackdaw
The silver-eyed crow, a small, sociable corvid that nests in church towers and greets the morning with a sharp jack call.
Least Concern
Coloeus monedula
Overview
The jackdaw is Britain's smallest crow: glossy black with a grey nape and striking pale eyes that give it an alert, intelligent look. Highly sociable, jackdaws flock over farmland and town rooftops, calling their name, a short, metallic jack, as they commute to feeding grounds.
Jackdaws pair for life and return to the same nest hole year after year, often in church steeples, chimney pots, and old trees. They are bold and curious, known to pull at visitors' hair and steal shiny objects for their nests.
- Scientific nameColoeus monedula
- Length30–34 cm
- Weight180–260 g
- Lifespan5–15 years in the wild
- DietInsects
- ConservationLeast Concern
- RegionChurches & Rooftops
Habitat
- Farmland
- Towns
- Cliffs
- Parks
Farmland, towns, villages, and parkland across the UK. Jackdaws need cavities for nesting, church towers, ruined castles, and old oaks are classic sites, and open ground nearby for feeding on insects, seeds, and scraps.
Countries found
Field notes
Field scale for the Jackdaw: length around 30-34 cm; weight 180-260 g. Typical lifespan: 5-15 years in the wild.
When you are scanning habitat, prioritise farmland, towns, cliffs, and parks. Those settings are where a clean look and a usable photo are most likely.
Quick ID anchor: Small black crow with a contrasting grey nape and pale greyish-white eye. Shorter bill and neater look than a carrion crow; often seen in chattering pairs or flocks. Confirm with behaviour and habitat before you log the discovery.
Diet
Insects, seeds, fruit, scraps, and occasionally eggs or nestlings. Forages on grassland in flocks and readily exploits towns and farmland.
Behaviour
Highly social corvid that usually pairs for life and nests in cavities, cliffs, or chimneys. Agile in flight and known for bold curiosity around people and livestock.
How to identify
Small black crow with a contrasting grey nape and pale greyish-white eye. Shorter bill and neater look than a carrion crow; often seen in chattering pairs or flocks.
Interesting facts
- 01
Jackdaws pair for life and nest in the same hole year after year.
- 02
Their pale eyes are unusual among British corvids.
- 03
Colonies often roost together in winter on city buildings.
Conservation status
Jackdaws are Least Concern and common across the UK. They thrive in human-altered landscapes and have expanded as old buildings provide nest sites.
Sources: IUCN Red List
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