Jackdaw

Seen one? Add it to your free UK BirdedexHear its song and see the mapFree, no app download. Common bird: +1 point when you log it.

Jackdaw in the UK

A common resident, with about 1.6 million pairs in the UK. Numbers have risen strongly since the 1960s, up 139 per cent between 1967 and 2024, and it is Green-listed. It breeds across almost all of Britain and Ireland and is scarce only in the far north-west of Scotland. In winter, local birds are joined by visitors from northern Europe.

Where and when to see a Jackdaw

Towns and villages with chimneys, church towers, castles, quarries, sea cliffs and parkland with old trees, all year. Flocks feed on pasture, often with Rooks and Starlings. For the best show, find a winter roost. From an hour before dusk, Jackdaws and Rooks gather in fields, then rise together and pour into the roost wood. Seaside car parks and picnic sites are good for close views.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Farmland, towns, cliffs.
Diet: Omnivore.
Field note: Noisy colonies.

How to identify a Jackdaw

Clearly smaller than a Carrion Crow, closer to a town pigeon in size. It is black with a grey nape and sides to the neck, a short bill and a pale, silvery eye that stands out even at range. Juveniles are browner with a darker eye and less grey. On the ground it walks with a quick, jaunty strut. In flight the wingbeats are faster and more pigeon-like than a crow's, and flocks tumble and wheel together. Pairs stay side by side within the flock.

Call and song

A sharp, cheerful 'chak' or 'jack', which gives the bird its name, and a longer 'kyow'. Flocks going to roost make a constant chattering chorus. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Carrion Crow: Carrion Crow is larger and all black with a dark eye, a heavier bill and a deep cawing call.
• Rook: Rook is larger with a bare whitish face, a long pointed bill and shaggy thigh feathers.
• Red-billed Chough: Chough has a curved red bill and red legs, with broad, deeply fingered wings.

Related guide Bird migration in Britain.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Jackdaw is a Common tier bird, worth +1 point when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• RookCommon · Farmland
• Northern RavenUncommon · Mountains
• Carrion CrowCommon · Everywhere
• Hooded CrowUncommon · Scotland
• Rock Dove (feral)Common · Towns
• StarlingCommon · Towns

Tell it apart

Side-by-side ID guides: Crow vs Rook vs Raven vs Jackdaw.

Jackdaw: quick answers

What does a Jackdaw eat?

Almost anything. Insects and other invertebrates from short grass make up much of the diet, along with grain, seeds, fruit, scraps and the eggs and chicks of other birds. It often rides on the backs of sheep and deer, picking at parasites.

What habitat does Jackdaw live in?

It needs two things: a hole to nest in and short grass to feed on. Chimneys, tree holes, cliffs and old buildings supply the first, pasture and playing fields the second. That is why it does well in both villages and open country.

Where can I see a Jackdaw in the UK?

Any town, village or farm across most of the UK. Look on rooftops and chimney pots in the breeding season. A typical bird lives about five years and does not breed until it is two.

Kit that helps

Best spotting scopes for UK birding. Affiliate links, our own picks, no extra cost to you.