Crows or Rooks?
Crows are usually seen on their own whereas rooks are nearly always in large groups. I confused people a while ago when I quoted the old saying " A rook on it's own is a crow and a crow in a group is a rook". That's just a saying to help decide which bird you are looking at and doesn't mean the same bird has two different names.
But what about when there are two birds over the road in the graveyard? Rooks or Crows?
Here's the illustrations and descriptions from the book "An Illustrated Country Year" by Celia Lewis
They are definitely not Ravens, Jackdaws or Jays. I decided that they are two crows...........probably.
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Sue
Look like crows to me. I’ve befriended the crows at my workplace. They show up when I arrive. I scatter nuts for them. Love to watch them. Beautiful, intelligent birds. Cali
ReplyDeleteI agree, crows. My favourite are jackdaws - we have a lot around our way and their icy blue eyes miss nothing.
ReplyDeleteWe had five magpies flirting around on our drive, no idea what it was about the gravel that interested them. I like Crows, they have a cheekiness about them.
ReplyDeleteI think they are crows too.
ReplyDeleteAnd we can't even call them blackbirds, as that name has been taken by another. I love jackdaws, but they are all clever birds and the magpie the most playful.
ReplyDeleteI'd say crows, too. Lots of them round here.
ReplyDeleteI think they are crows because of the curved upper beak.
ReplyDeleteHave you read Crow Country, by East Anglian author Mark Cocker?
ReplyDeleteI have, it's a well loved book but mostly about rooks. No Roots
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DeleteI don't know birds like you do, Sue!
ReplyDeleteWe have some crows or rooks that frequent our garden unless the magpies are on the prowl in which case everything else flees out of the way. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone above for comments above.
ReplyDeleteThankfully my garden is too small for magpies now - they were a pain at Clay Cottage.
I have never heard of a Corvid and when I saw your title Corvid family, I misread and thought "Covid Family." I'm so relieved!
ReplyDeleteI do not see many Crows lately. The family of solid black birds seems sizeable. Ravens, Rooks, and Crows. Ravens always appear the larger of the three, but the Rooks and Crows (for me) look almost identical.
ReplyDeleteThose look like crows, not big enough to be Ravens.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Me? I'm just confused! 🤔😂
ReplyDeleteAngie
Crows I think! The crows that come to our garden always come in groups. They call to one another to tell them of food too!
ReplyDeleteI think they are crows too. They do tend to stick together. We feed them at our house.
ReplyDeleteThey always totally confuse me as does the little ditty. I usually settle for 'crow-like' birds, as if you say black birds you enter a whole other realm of confusion!!
ReplyDeleteWhen we go to feed the corvids on a Saturday, I'm fairly certain that the group of four black birds are crows and not rooks, though there is, I think, a rookery near the local Co-op. I'm much more confident identifying magpies.
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