BIRD 3

Here is one of those hanging seed feeders with a cage around it, presumably to simultaneously give little birds access and a perch or several, while keeping out squirrels and larger birds. But the cage is not putting off this large fellow, though it looks slightly ill at ease balancing on that angled wire. It is big and blue-black all over, and the long wings appear to be ‘splitting’ into primary fingers at the tip. So, there is a fair argument that this is a crow. Jackdaws are regular in some gardens, but they have pale eyes, grey on the side and back of the head and neck and a relatively small black bill. Carrion Crows also have a black bill. But this bird has bare grey skin at the base of the peg-like, pale-based bill, typical of just one crow species, the Rook.

Key features

Big and blackish Long, fingered wings of a crow Pale skin on face at base of bill Pale-based peg-like bill

All blue-black plumage Pale grey bill base and bare skin on face Wing ‘fingers’