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Jackdaw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jackdaw
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Passeriformes
Family:
Corvidae
Genus:
Corvus
Species:
C. monedula
Binomial name
Corvus monedula
(Linnaeus,
1758)
Jackdaw range
The Jackdaw (Corvus
monedula) is one of the smallest species (34–39 cm in length) in the genus
of crows and ravens.
Description
Most of the plumage is
black or greyish black except for the cheeks, nape and neck, which are light
grey to greyish silver. The iris of adults is greyish white or silvery white,
the only member of the genus outside of the Australasian region to have this
feature. The iris of juvenile jackdaws is light blue. The bird is sociable,
moving around in pairs (male and female) or in larger groups, though the pairs
of birds stay together within the flocks.
Distribution
and habitat
Jackdaws are found over a
large area stretching from North West Africa through virtually all of Europe, Iran,
north-west India and Siberia, where they inhabit wooded steppes, woodland,
cultivated land, pasture, coastal cliffs and villages and towns.
Behaviour
Diet
The Jackdaw mostly takes
food from the ground but does take some food in trees. It eats insects and
other invertebrates, weed seeds and grain, scraps of human food in towns,
stranded fish on the shore, and will more readily take food from bird tables
than other Corvus species.
Jackdaw
snacking in Polish Winter
Nesting
Jackdaws usually nest in
colonies in cavities of trees, cliffs or ruined buildings and sometimes even in
dense conifers. Eggs, normally 4-5, are incubated for 17-18 days and fledge
after 30-35 days.
Voice
The voice is a "tchak-tchak"
or "kak-kak" call.
Social
behaviour
Konrad Lorenz studied the
complex social interactions that occur in groups of Jackdaws and published his
detailed observations of their social behaviour in his book "King Solomon's
Ring". In order to study Jackdaws, Lorenz put coloured rings on the legs
of the Jackdaws that lived around his house in Altenberg, Austria for
identification, and he caged them in the winter because of their annual migration
away from Austria. His book describes his observations on Jackdaws' hierarchical
group structure, the higher-ranking birds being dominant lower ranked birds. The
book also records his observations on Jackdaws' strong male–female bonding; he
noted that each bird of a pair both have about the same rank in the hierarchy,
and that a low-ranked female Jackdaw rocketed up the Jackdaw social ladder when
she became the mate of a high-ranking male.
Jackdaws have been observed
sharing food and objects. The active giving of food is rare in primates, and in
birds is found mainly in the context of parental care and courtship. Jackdaws
show much higher levels of active giving than documented for chimpanzees. The
function of this behaviour is not fully understood, although it has been found
to be compatible with hypotheses of mutualism, reciprocity and harassment
avoidance.[1]
Other
jackdaws
Another species closely
related to European Jackdaw is the Daurian Jackdaw (Corvus dauricus) of
eastern Asia. The European and Daurian Jackdaw together form the subgenus Coloeus.
Trivia
- "Kavka", the Czech word for
jackdaw, is the origin of Franz Kafka's surname
- In some cultures, a Jackdaw on the roof is
said to predict a new arrival; alternatively, a Jackdaw settling on the
roof of a house is an omen of death and coming across one is considered a
bad omen [2].
Image
links
- Urban bird
- Jackdaw on coastal cliffside
- Skull of Jackdaw
References
- ^ Frequent food- and object-sharing
during jackdaw (Corvus monedula) socialisation, [1].
- BirdLife International (2004). Corvus
monedula. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006.
Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why
this species is of least concern
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jackdaw&action=history
Jackdaw
Scientific classification
|
Kingdom: |
Animalia |
|
Phylum: |
Chordata |
|
Class: |
Aves |
|
Order: |
Passeriformes |
|
Family: |
Corvidae |
|
Genus: |
Corvus |
|
Species: |
C. monedula |
Binomial name
Corvus monedula
(Linnaeus,
1758)
Jackdaw range
Description
Most of the plumage is
black or greyish black except for the cheeks, nape and neck, which are light
grey to greyish silver. The iris of adults is greyish white or silvery white,
the only member of the genus outside of the Australasian region to have this
feature. The iris of juvenile jackdaws is light blue. The bird is sociable,
moving around in pairs (male and female) or in larger groups, though the pairs
of birds stay together within the flocks.
Distribution
and habitat
Jackdaws are found over a
large area stretching from North West Africa through virtually all of Europe, Iran,
north-west India and Siberia, where they inhabit wooded steppes, woodland,
cultivated land, pasture, coastal cliffs and villages and towns.
Behaviour
Diet
The Jackdaw mostly takes
food from the ground but does take some food in trees. It eats insects and
other invertebrates, weed seeds and grain, scraps of human food in towns,
stranded fish on the shore, and will more readily take food from bird tables
than other Corvus species.
Jackdaw
snacking in Polish Winter
Nesting
Jackdaws usually nest in
colonies in cavities of trees, cliffs or ruined buildings and sometimes even in
dense conifers. Eggs, normally 4-5, are incubated for 17-18 days and fledge
after 30-35 days.
Voice
The voice is a "tchak-tchak"
or "kak-kak" call.
Social
behaviour
Konrad Lorenz studied the
complex social interactions that occur in groups of Jackdaws and published his
detailed observations of their social behaviour in his book "King Solomon's
Ring". In order to study Jackdaws, Lorenz put coloured rings on the legs
of the Jackdaws that lived around his house in Altenberg, Austria for
identification, and he caged them in the winter because of their annual migration
away from Austria. His book describes his observations on Jackdaws' hierarchical
group structure, the higher-ranking birds being dominant lower ranked birds. The
book also records his observations on Jackdaws' strong male–female bonding; he
noted that each bird of a pair both have about the same rank in the hierarchy,
and that a low-ranked female Jackdaw rocketed up the Jackdaw social ladder when
she became the mate of a high-ranking male.
Jackdaws have been observed
sharing food and objects. The active giving of food is rare in primates, and in
birds is found mainly in the context of parental care and courtship. Jackdaws
show much higher levels of active giving than documented for chimpanzees. The
function of this behaviour is not fully understood, although it has been found
to be compatible with hypotheses of mutualism, reciprocity and harassment
avoidance.[1]
Other
jackdaws
Another species closely
related to European Jackdaw is the Daurian Jackdaw (Corvus dauricus) of
eastern Asia. The European and Daurian Jackdaw together form the subgenus Coloeus.
Trivia
- "Kavka", the Czech word for
jackdaw, is the origin of Franz Kafka's surname
- In some cultures, a Jackdaw on the roof is
said to predict a new arrival; alternatively, a Jackdaw settling on the
roof of a house is an omen of death and coming across one is considered a
bad omen [2].
Image
links
- Urban bird
- Jackdaw on coastal cliffside
- Skull of Jackdaw
References
- ^ Frequent food- and object-sharing
during jackdaw (Corvus monedula) socialisation, [1].
- BirdLife International (2004). Corvus
monedula. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006.
Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why
this species is of least concern
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jackdaw&action=history