that feeder is mine. i have told the others. repeatedly.
Jackdaw says
Bird 3 of 30 · video, 07:47
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedula
Small, black and silver-naped, with pale eyes, a big appetite for other birds' nests and a chimney of his own.
- Large, 231.8 g
- Stays all year
- Tree hole
- Building or eaves
- On the ground or lawn
- In a tree
About the jackdaw
Marks and dots
Tap a numbered dot, or a name in the list.
A pale grey nape contrasts with the otherwise all-black plumage.
Strikingly pale eyes, which perhaps give them a shifty look.
A young jackdaw's eye is blue, BTO says. The silver comes later.
From egg to adult
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Egg
Eggs4–5 eggs≠BTOthe video says 3–6 eggs
Hatch after20 days≠BTOthe video says 18 days
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Chick in the nest
In the nest forover a month video, BTO agrees
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Young bird
The video does not describe young jackdaws.
Switch the drawing above to Young for its marks.
Adult
Small, black, pale grey nape, pale eyes
Broods a year1 brood BTO
BTO averages: 19 days incubating the eggs, then 32 days in the nest. Averages across nest records, so the figures above can differ a little.
At the table
- eggs and chicks of other birds
- anything bright and shiny
A thief by reputation: eggs, chicks and other birds' nests are all targets, and anything bright and shiny gets a jackdaw's attention. They have even plucked wool from sheep's backs to line their nests.
Through the year
Jackdaw: around Jan to Dec; first eggs laid 12 Mar to 18 Apr, average 30 Mar (BTO); first chicks leave the nest 2 May to 9 Jun (worked out from BTO).
What to know about the jackdaw
Eight short notes in our own words. Each chip says what the note stands on, and links to its row in the table below.
What to look for
Much smaller than a crow or a rook, with a pale grey nape that stands out against otherwise black plumage. The eyes are strikingly pale.
Male and female
The video does not say whether male and female jackdaws look different.
not in the video
The young
The video does not describe young jackdaws. BTO says an adult's eye is a piercing silver-yellow, and a young bird's is blue.
Song and call
A distinctive call, easy to tell from a crow's or a rook's. The video does not describe the sound. BTO writes it as a chack-chack.
Nest
Jackdaws breed in colonies where nest sites are plentiful, in holes that can be natural, such as a tree, or man-made. Church spires seem to have particular appeal.
Feeding
A thief by reputation: eggs, chicks and other birds' nests are all targets, and anything bright and shiny gets a jackdaw's attention. They have even plucked wool from sheep's backs to line their nests.
Staying or leaving
Rapidly spreading its range through Britain, and there are few areas without a nearby population. BTO calls it a resident, topped up in winter by birds from northern Europe.
In the garden
Despite being one of the so-called baddies of the bird world, jackdaws are fascinating to watch, with exuberant flying displays that can be spectacular.
Sources and checks
Where every fact about the jackdaw came from
17 claims about the jackdaw: 2 checked, 7 from the video only,2 differ, 6 from a source only. How the grades work
| Claim, in our words | Video time | Grade | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| The jackdaw is much smaller than a crow or rook, with a pale grey nape against otherwise black plumage. | 07:47 | video only | |
| Jackdaws have strikingly pale eyes. | 07:59 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO describes the adult eye as a piercing silver-yellow. |
| The jackdaw has a distinctive call, and is easily told from a crow or a rook. | 07:47 | video only | |
| BTO writes the call as chack-chack. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| BTO says a young jackdaw's eye is blue, where an adult's is silver-yellow. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| Jackdaws steal almost anything: eggs, chicks and other birds' nests are targets. | 08:09 | video only | |
| Anything bright and shiny attracts a jackdaw, and they have been known to pluck wool from sheep's backs to line nests. | 08:18 | video only | |
| The jackdaw is rapidly expanding its range through Britain, with few districts lacking a population nearby. | 08:31 | video only | |
| BTO calls the jackdaw a resident, with winter numbers added to by birds from northern Europe. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| Jackdaws breed in colonies, nesting in holes in trees or man-made ones, with church spires a favourite. | 08:40 | video only | |
| A clutch is three to six eggs.video: 3–6 eggs | 08:52 | ≠differs | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 4–5 eggs (BTO typical)outside BTO's typical range of 4–5, though inside the 2–9 BTO has observed |
| The eggs hatch after 18 days.video: 18 days | 08:52 | ≠differs | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 20 days (BTO typical)outside BTO's typical range of 20, though inside the 16–23.5 BTO has observed |
| The young stay in the nest for over a month.video: over a month | 08:55 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's typical fledging time is 31.5 to 32.5 days, a little over a month. |
| Jackdaws are fascinating to watch, with exuberant, sometimes spectacular flying displays. | 09:02 | video only | |
| Adult weight, from ringing records: 231.8 g, adult average. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 231.8 g, adult average |
| Timing of the first clutch: first eggs laid around 30 Mar (12 Mar-18 Apr). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: first eggs laid around 30 Mar (12 Mar-18 Apr) |
| Typical broods in a year: 1 brood (BTO typical). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 1 brood (BTO typical) |
Written in our own words after “British Birds in your Garden” by The Great British Channel, where the jackdaw starts at 07:47.Numbers are checked against the BTO's page for the jackdaw, read on 5 October 2026. We are not connected to the channel or to the BTO.
More birbs: 30 so far, and more to come
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