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Many of the UK’s most common corvids – members of the crow family – sport all-black plumage, which can make identification a bit of a headache. But once you know what to look for, there are easy ways to tell the difference. And it’s worth making the effort, because what they lack in colour corvids definitely make up for in brain power – they’re some of the smartest animals on the planet and their entertaining antics are fascinating to watch!
Rooks are most common in the countryside, and you might see rookeries in banks of mature trees between farm fields and in rural villages. They will venture into towns too, if the right habitat is available. Large flocks of Rooks are often seen in fields or mobbing birds of prey.
Rooks are sociable birds and spend much of the year together in big groups, feeding, roosting and even nesting in close quarters. 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 can be seen singly and in groups.
In winter, Rooks can join up with other corvids (particularly Jackdaws) to roost together. These groups often perform impressive dusk and dawn displays where they fly around together, calling loudly. Like all corvids, Rooks are opportunistic, resourceful birds, and they have a broad diet including insects, seeds, small birds and eggs, as well as small mammals.
Rooks nest communally in the top branches of mature trees. These ‘rookeries’ can be very large and distinctive, with the messy nests clearly visible in bare branches over winter. Rookeries are often in use for years, sometimes decades. Rooks are early nesters, and from February they can be seen flying back to their rookery carrying comically large sticks as they seek to repair winter damage.
Rooks have very good memories and will bury food – a behaviour known as ‘caching’ – then return later to retrieve their snack.
