Carrion Crow

Carrion Crows, like undertakers, love to dispose of dead bodies (carrion) and hence their name. A group of Carrion Crows is called a ‘murder’ which is a brilliant description of an undertakers convention (and probably what it is like). They are anti-social birds keeping themselves to themselves or staying in pairs, though they can form small flocks when looking for bodies in parks or on beaches. Like other crows, they show intelligent behaviour.

The Carrion Crow is all black and neater looking than a Rook with a broad crown, curved black bill, black feet, and short looking head with a flat low forehead. When flying the wings are oblong, broadening at the tip, and the tail looks square. The wings are held straight in their sedate, straight flight with little soaring.

The Carrion Crow calls when perched or in flight with a hard edged “kaarr”. They usually repeated their call several times in succession, compared to a Rook who calls only once. The Carrion Crow’s call can sound malevolent, which is its function, saying “I am master of ceremonies here.”

Like other crows, the Carrion Crow will eat just about anything: insects, grain, small animals, carrion, and even shellfish, which they drop onto roads or rocks to open. They feed on the ground and walk or hop when finding their food. They are scavengers by nature so enjoy rubbish tips for a bit of tasty household waste. Carrion Crows will also harass birds of prey or even foxes to pinch their kills and get a dead body. Both birds build the nest of sticks lined with softer plant material high in a tree, a tall building or even a pylon. They do not nest in colonies like Rooks. The 2-7 eggs hatch after 18 days and the young can fly 32 days later. The youngsters become fully independent after a further 3-5 weeks once they can croak psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd) and follow a hearse. The parents are very protective of their kids and will actively harass predators and competitors that enter their territory who threaten them or their offspring, engaging in mobbing behaviour to defend themselves.

The Carrion Crow is a sedentary resident with 1 million pairs found everywhere from towns to remote islands and their numbers are stable. Their Latin name is ‘corvus corone’ which comes from the Latin ‘corvus’ meaning ‘raven’ and the Greek ’korone’ meaning ’crow’.

Rook

Rooks always look a bit mean, like the Ebenezer Scrooge of birds. You can just see them in fingerless gloves, stingily sharing out any food. A group of Rooks is called a parliament which clinches it. Like other crows, they are intelligent, with complex behavioural traits and an ability to solve simple problems like double-entry book-keeping.

Slightly smaller than a Carrion Crow, the Rook has an all-black plumage with an iridescent sheen when seen up close. The key identifying feature is the grey-white skin at the base of its long, pointed beak, as if he was too much of a skinflint to pay for an all black beak like the Carrion Crow's. The Rook has a 'peaked' crown that is more noticeable when they are agitated and a 'baggy trouser' look to the feathers around its legs. Rooks are very sociable birds and are rarely seen on their own (hence the old adage, "One be crow, two be rooks"). In winter, they feed and roost in large flocks, often together with Jackdaws. In flight, their wing tips are 'fingered' and the base of the wing narrows where it joins the body. The tail is wedge-shaped. Their flight tends to be direct and purposeful.

Rooks have a raucous "caw" or "kaah" call and it is usually spoken in singles (unlike a Carrion Crow which calls in threes and fours - think one 'R' in Rook and three 'Rs' in Carrion Crow). Rooks are as vocal as they are social, living in large rookeries of tens, sometimes hundreds of nests at the top of tall trees. The largest known rookery in Aberdeenshire contained over 2000 nests!

Rooks will eat almost anything, including worms, grain, nuts and insects, small mammals, birds (especially eggs and nestlings) and carrion. Foraging mostly takes place on the ground, with the birds striding or hopping about and probing the soil with their powerful beaks. In more urban areas, they will eat human food scraps from rubbish dumps and off the streets, usually in the early hours or at dusk when it is relatively quiet. They will peck open garbage sacks when out scavenging to find anything they can for free. Rooks have even been trained to pick up litter at a theme park in France (but wanted to be paid for it).

Male and female Rooks pair-bond for life and the pairs stay together within the flocks. They normally build their nests in February or March, but may start as early as January. The male selects the nest site and begins building before the female joins in. Nests are built high in the trees of a rookery and made of twigs and branches held together with mud and tufts of grass and lined with moss and leaves. Twigs are broken off trees or pinched from nearby nests, whichever is cheapest.

Typically, 2-5 eggs are laid, hatching after 16 days. The youngsters will stay in the nest for just over a month until they can fly. They continue to be fed by both parents for 6 weeks. Rooks can gather food for their young and store it in a special pouch under their bill so nobody can steal it.

There are 1.2m pairs of Rooks in Britain and the number is increasing as they are no longer persecuted by farmers (who now know that the insects the Rooks feed on are harmful to their crops). The northern Rook population migrates south in winter. In North Scotland, Rooks leave the uplands because it is too cold to stay there without wearing a kilt, which costs too much. The Rook's main requirement for living accommodation is tall trees, so they can be found just about anywhere except built-up, treeless city areas. The oldest known Rook lived to be 20 years old.

Their Latin name is 'corvus frugilegus' where 'corvus' means 'raven', and 'frugilegus' means 'fruit-gathering'. It is derived from 'frux' or 'frugis', meaning 'fruit', and 'legere', meaning 'to pick'. The English-language common name 'Rook' is ultimately derived from the bird's harsh call (if you say it in a funny way, with an outrageous country accent).

Jackdaw

The Jackdaw, with his grey hood and black cap, can look a bit like the magistrate of the birds, though in fact he is more of a thief, with his love of pinching shiny things.

Smaller than a Carrion Crow, the Jackdaw is a stocky bird with a grey 'hood' and steely grey eye.  They are most often seen in pairs or flocks known as a "clattering" and usually mixed up with Rooks or Starlings, like a black bird brotherhood. They form communal roosts and can be found anywhere from farmland to the seashore. Their main call is "Jack", like their name, and they say it as if happy or excited. In fact, Jackdaws have a complicated system of communication using combinations of different postures and calls. They are highly intelligent, so getting into your bird feeder for a snack is child's play. The Jackdaw's flight is light and agile. The wing 'fingers' rarely show, so the wings look rounded at the end when compared to a Rook or Carrion Crow.

The Jackdaw feeds mainly on the ground and walks or hops along while eating insects, grain, seeds, fruit, berries, eggs and even young birds. They are happy to scavenge on rubbish tips and will eat most human scraps from a bird table. They are not fussy eaters but have dreadful table manners and will hide food to enjoy later.

Jackdaws are very loyal and will pair up with a lifelong mate, snuggling up to one another on the nest and preening each other. When ready to start a family, they both build the nest which is made of sticks lined with wool, hair or other soft material. They nest with other Jackdaws in loose colonies, usually in trees, but they can use cliffs, the tops of buildings, or a comfy chimney - which is annoying when they block yours (and why chimneys are fitted with cowls). The female incubates the 4-6 pale blue-green darkly speckled eggs for 18 days. Both parents feed the young which remain in the nest for 32 days before they can fly. It is a further week before the youngsters can fly well enough to strut their stuff on the rubbish tip.

Jackdaws are both resident and migratory, moving south from the bleaker upland areas of Britain, joining their Northern Continental cousins who pop over in the winter and go home in spring. This is why there seems to be more in winter. There are 1.4 million pairs in Britain and the numbers are increasing. The oldest ringed Jackdaw lived to be 14.

The Jackdaw's Latin name is 'corvus monedula' where 'corvus' means 'raven' and the 'monedelua' part comes from their liking of bright shiny objects. It is derived from the Latin for 'money'. Some Italian thieves once exploited this and trained a tame Jackdaw to steal money from cash machines! So a Jackdaw is a money raven. The jury is out on where their English name came from. Some say the 'Jack' part comes from 'Jack' meaning rogue while others say it is from the sound of their call.

An ancient Greek and Roman adage runs "The Swans will sing when the Jackdaws are silent", meaning that educated or wise people speak only after the foolish have become quiet. It is a bit mean to call an intelligent bird like the Jackdaw uneducated. In some cultures, a Jackdaw on the roof is said to predict a new arrival; while in others, a Jackdaw settling on the roof or flying down a chimney is an omen of death. In the Fens, seeing a Jackdaw on the way to a wedding is a good omen for a bride, but Fen people have always been a bit odd.

Yellowhammer

Like the Yellow Wagtail, the Yellowhammer is, how shall we put it, yellow! He is high-vis, although a bit grubbier from lots of hedgerow work and having so many wild fondue parties. Once you locate him from his "a little bit of bread and no cheese" song, you will wonder how you ever missed something with such a bright yellow head. He has inspired poems by Robbie Burns and John Clare, and his cheese song has even influenced musical works by Beethoven and Messiaen.

The Yellowhammer is slightly larger than a house sparrow. The male has a bright yellow breast and head with some streaky blackish lines. The back is a rich streaked brown with a chestnut rump and a longish forked tail. The female is less yellow and more stripy. In winter, the yellow becomes more obscured by green brown streaks, making it blend in more with other winter birds and much harder to spot.

The Yellowhammer just loves to sing about how much he likes cheese, standing proudly upright and banging on about it. Despite the song, he is more of a seed eater, feeding mainly on the ground, with the odd insect thrown in during the summer.

The Yellowhammer has 2 to 3 broods between April and September. The female builds a nest close to the ground from grass, plant stems and moss. She sits on the 3-5 eggs while the male sings from the hedge top about how proud he is and let's have a cheese party. The eggs are patterned with a mesh of fine dark lines, giving rise to the old name for the Yellowhammer of "scribble lark" or "writing lark". The eggs hatch after 13 days and the youngsters are cared for by both parents. They can fly 11 days later. The boy birds learn the family cheesy song from their fathers as Yellowhammers have their own regional dialects. The songs are similar but end with minor differences. The girl birds fancy the boys that share their dialect and enjoy the same local dairy produce.

Yellowhammers love open countryside with bushes and trees. There are about a million territories throughout Britain, though these have declined a lot in recent years. The decline is thought to be due to more efficient farming and reduced availability of seed rich stubble fields in winter. The Yellowhammer is resident all year and seldom moves far. They form loose flocks in winter with other buntings, finches and sparrows. The oldest recorded bird was 11 years old, which shows there is no harm in a nice bit of Wensleydale.

Their Latin name is 'emberiza citrinella' where 'emberiza' is derived from the Old German 'Embritz' for bunting and 'citrinella' is the Italian for a small yellow bird (as opposed to citronella which is the stinky stuff in candles and 'stinky bunting' wouldn't be a good name at all). The English name is thought to have come from 'Ammer', another German word for a bunting.

Yellow Wagtail

In Ancient Egypt, the Yellow Wagtail was considered a representation of Atum himself and it might have been the inspiration for the Bennu bird, which, in turn, is supposed to have inspired the phoenix of Greek mythology, the bird that rose out of the fire. Not bad for a small bird wearing a high-vis jacket and sporting a fashionable waggy tail.

The Yellow Wagtail is smaller and sleeker than the Pied Wagtail and is very, very yellow. The male has yellow under parts, a yellow head, and a yellow green back. No other bird is so yellow and without streaks. It has the shortest waggy tail of all the wagtails, but can still do a good wag. There are two white wing bars, and the tail has white sides. The female and youngsters are similar to the male but slightly paler.

The Yellow Wagtail likes lowland pastures, water meadows, marshes, riversides, and arable fields, like the ones found in central and eastern England. It is a real fenland bird at heart. It hangs around with cows and other large animals in search of food, spending much of the time running about on the ground, chasing insects disturbed by their feet, and trying not to get squashed. There is nothing better than a big fat cowpat for takeaway insects.

They fly in long undulating curves or perch on posts and wires, waving their tails to attract attention as if being vibrant yellow wasn't enough. The Yellow Wagtail gives a "Sweep" call that is very different from that of the grey or pied. It sings mainly from May to July.

They build a cup-shaped nest in a tussock close to the ground. It is made of grass lined with wool or fur. The 4-8 speckled eggs are laid in April. Both parents incubate the eggs, which hatch after 12 days. The youngsters fly after 16 days but will hang around with mum and dad for several weeks. The family may even migrate together. It is pretty hard to give the kids the slip when you are high-viz.

The Yellow Wagtail is a summer visitor with the males arriving first in late March. They are fairly scarce with about 50,000 territories in Britain. Recent declines in breeding numbers have placed the Yellow Wagtail on the Red List of birds of conservation concern. This is thought to be because of changes in land use and agricultural practices, though being bright yellow doesn't make it easy to hide from predators like Mr Sparrowhawk. Come October, they migrate in flocks back to West Africa for their annual winter holiday in the sun.

The Yellow Wagtail looks slightly different depending on where in Europe it breeds, There are eight different subspecies with variations in the colour of the male's head. For example, in France and Germany, you will find the blue-headed wagtail; in Italy, the grey-headed wagtail; and in Finland, the ashy-headed wagtail. Their Latin name is 'motacilla flava' where 'motacilla', like the Pied Wagtail, means 'tail mover' and 'flava' is Latin for 'golden-yellow'.

Grey Wagtail

Another bird that wags its tail like mad. Its name is a little misleading as it looks more yellow than grey (but not to be confused with the Yellow Wagtail which is really yellow). It is usually seen singly or in pairs as it is a solitary little chap who likes the mountain streams, waterfalls, rock climbing, and the Sound of Music.

The Grey Wagtail is about the same size as the Pied Wagtail. The male has yellow under parts which are very bright so the mountain rescue teams can easily spot him. The upper parts are a blue grey with a white stripe above the eye and a black throat. The female has a pale throat and paler under parts. The Grey Wagtail has the longest tail of all the wagtails.

They have a low, bounding, deeply curved flight and perch on rocks or bushes. They do a distinctive song flight, where the male parachutes down from on high with open and fluttering wings. The Grey Wagtail sings mainly from March to May. The call is a reduced version of the Pied Wagtail's, lacking the "chis", and is only a very loud, piercingly sharp "tswick". This is because they need to be heard above the roaring noise of the water.

The Grey Wagtail eats insects, which it mainly picks up from the ground or from shallow water. They will even munch the odd tadpole or water snail on special occasions, like celebrating a good climb.

Nesting begins in April or May. The nest is built in a hole, crevice or other protected site such as under a bridge. Both parents build the nest using grass and twigs. The female then lines it with moss and hair. The 4-6 eggs hatch after 14 days. The young fly after another 14 days and depend on mum and dad for a further 14 days before going off to do their own tail wagging. The teenagers will sometimes come back to the nest to roost as there is no place like home and mum's cooking.

There are about 70,000 Grey Wagtails in Britain. They are found mainly in upland areas near fast flowing water where there are rocks and open ground. They have gradually increased their range in the past 150 years and have expanded into some lowland areas from the northern and western uplands. They are scarce in eastern England as they are not a big fan of the fens as there are no peaks to climb and a pylon is not the same thing. In winter, Grey Wagtails move down to a wide variety of lowland areas, and like the Pied Wagtail, can't resist a good sewage farm. Their numbers can fall in a harsh winter but they usually recover quickly.

Their Latin name is 'motacilla cinerea' where 'motacilla', like the Pied Wagtail, means 'tail mover 'and 'cincerea' is Latin for 'ash-grey' from 'cinis' meaning 'ashes'.

Pied Wagtail

Pied means two (or more) colours. The Pied Piper of Hamlin was dressed in multi-coloured clothes. This fellow is less extravagant and essentially just black and white - like a dinner suit. The Pied Wagtail is the car park bird as that is where you see them most (on the ground, not driving). They are slightly larger than a sparrow, though they often don't look it. The upper parts, rump, chest and throat are black with a white face. The under parts are white. They have a fine black bill, and rather spindly black legs. Their tail is black with fine white edges which they wag constantly up and down to show how proud of it they are. The female has a dark grey back. Pied Wagtails in Britain are slightly darker than those found in Europe.

They utter a very recognisable "Chis-ick" flight call while bounding along. They love the open bare ground found near water like rivers, canals, lakes, ponds, sewage farms (ugh), and at motorway service stations!

The Pied Wagtail runs or flies to catch insects, especially flies, midges, and caterpillars. They are more abundant in the north in the summer as there are far more juicy midges up there, the ones with the big teeth. In the winter, the male wagtail will defend their winter feeding territory and will feed on seeds and even rubbish to survive.

In April, Pied Wagtails build their nest in a hole or building crevice. The female finishes it off by lining it with hair, wool and feathers. She lays 3-8 eggs which hatch after 12 days having been kept warm by both proud parents. They then feed the young, which fly after 14 days. The youngsters hang around for a few more days, enjoying family food, before finally leaving. There may be two broods, especially in the warmer south.

The Pied Wagtail is found throughout the UK but is most abundant in the north and west where there are a lot more midges. There are about 600,000 birds in Britain. The Pied Wagtail varies from being a long distance migrant in the north to a resident in the south, the north becoming deserted in winter as it is a bit cold to be wandering around only wearing a smart dinner suit. When it gets cold, large numbers of wagtails gather in carparks, or on flat roofs in towns, to form a communal roost. Up to 3,000 can gather together, which is quite a sight.

Their Latin name is 'motacilla alba' where 'motacilla' means tail mover and 'alba' means white. The British Pied Wagtail is a subspecies of the European White Wagtail which looks almost identical except it has a pale grey back and rump.

Blackcap

The Blackcap is many people's favourite songbird. John Clare (a poet born in Helpston near Peterborough) wrote a Blackcap poem and called it the March Nightingale. It is a bird that arrives and sings earlier than the Nightingale and is every bit as melodious. The Blackcap is a very cocky operatic tenor. A small, stocky woodland bird slightly smaller than a sparrow, although one of the larger warblers.

The male is plain grey brown above, paler below, with a rounded black cap (hence the name), and a squared off tail. He has a pale grey collar when looked at from the rear. The female is similar but has a reddish brown cap instead of black as she doesn't want to look like a puritan. Young Blackcaps are a duller version of mum.

Blackcaps are more often heard than seen as they tend to lurk in deep cover and only occasionally come to garden feeders. They like woodlands, copses, thickets and other bushy places including parks. Anywhere there are lots of places to hide. The Blackcap's song has rich, clear notes and is loud. This is someone who has clearly been trained to sing opera. The song can sound a bit like a speeded up Blackbird's, a lovely flutey warble with the odd buzzing note thrown in. Male Blackcaps can develop a signature tune and include phrases that mimic other birds, just to show them how it should be done. Their alarm call sounds like two pebbles being clicked together which is confusingly similar to the call of a Stonechat.

They eat insects such as caterpillars and beetles, moving on to fruit and berries (like holly and mistletoe) in the winter. They are opportunistic eaters when food is scarce, which is why they sometimes turn up on your garden feeder.

In April to May, the male builds several rough-and-ready nests low down in dense vegetation (such as brambles) from which the female chooses one to fashion into a delicate cup-shaped home. The female lays 4-6 eggs, which both birds help incubate. These hatch after 11 days. The proud parents then feed the young for 11 days until they fly away. They sometimes have 2 broods.

The Blackcap is a summer visitor. They get as far north as southern Scotland and a few hardy souls get all the way to Inverness. There are about 1 million birds, and their numbers have increased in recent years. A few Blackcaps over-winter in the south of Britain, now we are getting warmer winters. The rest head off to the Mediterranean for a bit of Flamenco singing and dancing in Spain. The oldest recorded Blackcap lived to be 10 years old, which shows that singing is good for you.

Their Latin name is 'sylvia atricapilla' where 'silvia' was the name of a woodland sprite and 'atricapilla' is from the Latin 'ater' for black and 'capillus', for hair. A black-headed woodland fairy. Fossils of the Blackcap have been found in several European countries; the oldest, dated to 1.2 million years ago!

Wren

In Zulu folklore, the Wren is the king of birds. The story goes that all the birds gathered together to discuss which of them should be king. They decided that the bird that flew the highest should take the crown. The eagle soared way above the other contestants – only to discover that a plucky little Wren had ridden on his back and launched itself above him at the last moment, to win. Finding itself accused of trickery on its return to earth, the Wren was held prisoner under the watchful eye of an owl. The Wren waited until its gaoler had nodded off and then escaped, spending the rest of eternity avoiding capture by darting from cover to cover and keeping hidden.

The Wren is one of Europe's smallest birds. It is found anywhere with low cover, including mountains! It is a tiny, dumpy, energetic little bird with a short tail that is often cocked up. Just don't call it dumpy or you will get a nasty stare. Wrens are dark brown with fine black bars, paler underparts, and a pale stripe over the eye. For its size, it has a relatively long dark bill, great for getting spiders out of crevices.

The Wren's call is a forceful trill that sounds like a machine gun, loud and fast, and heard coming from the undergrowth. It can fire over 100 rounds (notes) in 5 seconds, which is some bit of hardware. It is amazing that something so small can make so much noise. The Wren physically trembles with the effort. Occasionally, just to scare you, the Wren practices his machine-gunning call from a higher perch. They sing throughout the year to maintain their territories, and only when it is really cold will they come together in communal roosts to keep warm. Sometimes this is in a nest box which does for a good barracks. 63 Wrens have been found in a single box!

Their flight is fast and generally close to the ground. These are the little brown birds you see whizzing across the road from hedge to hedge and disappearing. The Wren constantly searches for food, hidden in the depths of hedges or bushes in his battledress camouflage. The main food is beetles and spiders, though they can be partial to a bit of cheese on the bird table.

Their chief breeding habitat is deciduous and mixed woods, especially alongside a stream. Nesting starts in the second half of April. The male builds several domed nests made of moss, leaves, and grass. The picky female then chooses one and lines it with something soft before laying her 5-8 eggs, which hatch after 16 days. The young fly after 17 days. They usually raise two broods.

There are 8 million territories in Britain. Their numbers can fall significantly after a harsh winter, though they quickly recover over the following years. There are separate local races of Wren on Shetland, Fair Isle, Outer Hebrides, and St Kilda, all wearing slightly different style uniforms. The oldest recorded Wren lived to be 6 years old.

The name 'wren' comes from an Anglo-Saxon word applied to people who were small, busy, quick, and energetic just like this little bird is. The British Wren's Latin name is 'troglodytes troglodytes' which comes from the Greek word 'troglodytes' ('trogle' a hole, and 'dyein' to creep) and means 'cave-dweller'. This is from their tendency to forage in dark crevices and commando crawl around under bushes.

Bullfinch

He is the Scarlet Pimpernel with his pink breast and secretive nature. "They seek him here, they seek him there, they seek the finchy everywhere!". They can be found in thick bushes, orchards, and occasionally in gardens. You are most likely to see him flashing his white bum as he flies away to hide.

The Bullfinch is a plump bird with a short, neat, powerful black bill. The tail, wings and head are black though with a distinctive white rump. The male has a pinkish red breast (which could be why he is so shy) and the female has a browny-grey breast. There is a pale bar on their wings.

They have a very soft, "peu, peu" call that is seldom heard. Even rarer is their 'squeaky bicycle song' which consists of a string of simple notes that sound like a distant squeaky bicycle being wheeled slowly along.

The Bullfinch's main food is tree and fruit buds. They love ash tree buds in winter and fruit tree buds in spring, which they can snaffle at a rate of 30 a minute! They also eat small snails, which they can crack open with their powerful beaks. They are seldom seen feeding far from cover and normally feed directly off plants and, if you are really lucky, your bird feeder. This love of fruit buds is their downfall as it makes them very unpopular with farmers and gardeners. Some people consider the Bullfinch a pest. In the 16th century, Henry VIII condemned the Bullfinches eating of fruit on trees as a 'criminal act', and an Act of Parliament declared that one penny would be paid for every bullfinch trapped and killed!

Bullfinches are usually seen in pairs or family groups, not in flocks. They build their nest in a big, thick bush in May. It is made of twigs, moss and lichen. They lay up to 6 eggs which hatch after 12 days. The young can fly after 15 days but are fed by mum and dad for a further 20 days. Food is carried to the young in pouches in the bottom of the Bullfinch's mouth. There are two and sometimes three broods with parenthood finishing in July when they start to moult (change their feathers). Unlike a lot of birds, they stay the same colour, not changing to a duller winter coat.

The Bullfinch is mainly a local resident but can travel up to 28 kilometres to find a mate in the breeding season - or a juicier orchard. There are 200,000 pairs thinly distributed throughout Britain. Sadly, there has been a rapid decline in numbers over the last 25 years as there are now fewer orchards and suitably thick hedges. Their Latin name is 'pyrrhula pyrrhula' which is derived from Greek and means 'flame coloured' because of their pink breast which is why they hide in shame.