Corvus frugilegus
Copied!
Mass
~450 g
Habitat
Grasslands and meadows
Diet
Omnivore
How to recognize it
The rook is the kind of urban edge presence you notice in noisy groups before you look closely. In adults, the bare pale patch at the base of the bill stands out, but what stays in memory is the busy, communal way it moves and feeds.
Rooks spend a lot of time in flocks, on the ground or coming and going from the treetops where they nest together. Their call is a rough, familiar caw, and in larger gatherings the sound can become quite constant.
They favor open country, pasture, and arable land, along with settlements where tall trees are available. They feed mainly by probing the soil for grubs and other invertebrates, but they also take cereals and other plant food, and in the north some populations move south for winter.
Quick Facts
Listen to the call
The rook is the kind of urban edge presence you notice in noisy groups before you look closely. In adults, the bare pale patch at the base of the bill stands out, but what stays in memory is the busy, communal way it moves and feeds.
Rooks spend a lot of time in flocks, on the ground or coming and going from the treetops where they nest together. Their call is a rough, familiar caw, and in larger gatherings the sound can become quite constant.
They favor open country, pasture, and arable land, along with settlements where tall trees are available. They feed mainly by probing the soil for grubs and other invertebrates, but they also take cereals and other plant food, and in the north some populations move south for winter.
