Jackdaw
Until recently many of our birds were thought to be strictly monogamous, that is faithful to one partner. Then DNA testing was invented, and we now know that monogamy is the exception rather than the rule. In House Sparrows about 20% of nests contain at least one offspring that is not fathered by the male of the pair. In Starlings and Great Tits this rises to 30%, 40% in Blue Tits, and up to 75% in Coal Tits. But the prize for infidelity goes to Reed Buntings where around 90% of nests have chicks that are not fathered by the male of the pair. But in Jackdaws only 1% of nests were found to contain chicks from another male. This makes Jackdaws the most faithful of all British songbirds studied so far. Moreover they would have plenty of opportunity to philander as they often nest and feed in loose colonies. Moreover, Jackdaws usually stick with the same partner year after year, and the oldest Jackdaw lived to 17.
DNA testing has also resulted in Jackdaw being placed in a separate genus from the other British crows (Coloeus instead of Corvus), but the genus only contains this and its eastern counterpart, the Daurian Jackdaw (C. dauuricus). (Western) Jackdaw's scientific name is Coloeus monedula; Coloeus simply means Jackdaw whereas monedula literally means money-eating (but really means acquisitive or greedy). This comes from a Greek myth about Arne Sithornis who appeared in Ovid's Metamorphoses. She was a princess of a Greek Island who betrayed her homeland when she accepted a bribe of gold from King Minos of Crete, who then attacked her island. She was punished by the gods for her treachery and was metamorphosed into a Jackdaw, a symbol of greed. This is why Linnaeus named the Jackdaw monedula (money-eater) back in 1758.
Jackdaws are smaller than crows, with a body size similar to Magpie. The call is high-pitched and quite unlike the tuneless cawing of crows www.xeno-canto.org/671328 In my village they nest commonly in old chimney pots (and tree holes) but they are very wary and don't even like cameras being pointed at them. Probably because they are still shot by farmers and gamekeepers. I photographed this one yesterday at Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire where they nest in rock crevices. This is a busy tourist attraction and they seem to have become more confiding with humans there. I thought it showed the plumage features particularly well; the pale eye, grey shawl and the slight purple iridescence on the flight feathers.
Jackdaw
Until recently many of our birds were thought to be strictly monogamous, that is faithful to one partner. Then DNA testing was invented, and we now know that monogamy is the exception rather than the rule. In House Sparrows about 20% of nests contain at least one offspring that is not fathered by the male of the pair. In Starlings and Great Tits this rises to 30%, 40% in Blue Tits, and up to 75% in Coal Tits. But the prize for infidelity goes to Reed Buntings where around 90% of nests have chicks that are not fathered by the male of the pair. But in Jackdaws only 1% of nests were found to contain chicks from another male. This makes Jackdaws the most faithful of all British songbirds studied so far. Moreover they would have plenty of opportunity to philander as they often nest and feed in loose colonies. Moreover, Jackdaws usually stick with the same partner year after year, and the oldest Jackdaw lived to 17.
DNA testing has also resulted in Jackdaw being placed in a separate genus from the other British crows (Coloeus instead of Corvus), but the genus only contains this and its eastern counterpart, the Daurian Jackdaw (C. dauuricus). (Western) Jackdaw's scientific name is Coloeus monedula; Coloeus simply means Jackdaw whereas monedula literally means money-eating (but really means acquisitive or greedy). This comes from a Greek myth about Arne Sithornis who appeared in Ovid's Metamorphoses. She was a princess of a Greek Island who betrayed her homeland when she accepted a bribe of gold from King Minos of Crete, who then attacked her island. She was punished by the gods for her treachery and was metamorphosed into a Jackdaw, a symbol of greed. This is why Linnaeus named the Jackdaw monedula (money-eater) back in 1758.
Jackdaws are smaller than crows, with a body size similar to Magpie. The call is high-pitched and quite unlike the tuneless cawing of crows www.xeno-canto.org/671328 In my village they nest commonly in old chimney pots (and tree holes) but they are very wary and don't even like cameras being pointed at them. Probably because they are still shot by farmers and gamekeepers. I photographed this one yesterday at Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire where they nest in rock crevices. This is a busy tourist attraction and they seem to have become more confiding with humans there. I thought it showed the plumage features particularly well; the pale eye, grey shawl and the slight purple iridescence on the flight feathers.