Jackdaw

The jackdaw is Britain's smallest crow: glossy black with a grey nape and striking pale eyes that give it an alert, intelligent look. Highly sociable, jackdaws flock over farmland and town rooftops, calling their name — a short, metallic jack — as they commute to feeding grounds.

Jackdaws pair for life and return to the same nest hole year after year, often in church steeples, chimney pots, and old trees. They are bold and curious, known to pull at visitors' hair and steal shiny objects for their nests.

Farmland, towns, villages, and parkland across the UK. Jackdaws need cavities for nesting — church towers, ruined castles, and old oaks are classic sites — and open ground nearby for feeding on insects, seeds, and scraps.