Western Jackdaw

How to identify

Field marks

1. Pale gray cheeks and nape
2. Adult eyes grayish-white or silvery-white
3. Short, thick, black bill
4. Remaining feathers glossy black

Male, female and young

Sexes similar; juveniles have pale blue eyes and darker, less sharply defined plumage.

Voice

In flight, it often gives a thin, high-pitched, metallic “chyak-chyak” or “kak-kak”, used for contact and greeting.

Similar species

Daurian Jackdaw

Adults are easy to separate, as Daurian Jackdaw is black-and-white; juveniles are very similar, but Daurian Jackdaw is darker with a less contrasting nape.

Rook

Western Jackdaw may be confused with Rook at a distance, but its short bill and gray nape are distinguishing features.

Where and when it's recorded

Western Jackdaw has been recorded at 1,228 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 70 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom6,037 records
2. Beddington FarmlandsUnited Kingdom4,576 records
3. Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,416 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United KingdomSpainIsraelSwedenNetherlandsTürkiyeIrelandGermany

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula), also known as the Eurasian jackdaw, the European jackdaw, or simply the jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. It is found across Europe, western Asia and western North Africa; it is mostly resident, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in the winter. Linnaeus first described it formally, giving it the name Corvus monedula.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

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