Rook has nothing to crow about

Sir — With reference to Joe Kennedy’s article on rooks (Country Matters, Sunday Independent, January 27), I ask myself: “Is this the most unloved bird of them all?”

I mean, other members of the same clan are universally acknowledged for their power and size (the raven), their thievery and intelligence ( jackdaws and magpies), their beauty and evasiveness (the jay) or their maritime soaring acrobatics (the chough). The rook does appear to be the poor relation here, existing on the margins of wildlife and humanlife as a shy creature with an over-sized beak. To quote Joe…. “cautious rooks flap to keep us at bay”. Damien Boyd, Frankfield, Cork