In part two of our introduction to the Corvids of Britain, we focus on the three corvid species belonging to differing genera. They are the familiar Magpie and Jay, and We continue in descending size order, beginning with the beautiful Chough.
The Chough (Pyrrhocorax Pyrrhocorax)
The chough, also known as the red-billed chough, is a bird species in the Pyrrhocorax genus. The other species in this genus is the Alpine or yellow-billed chough. In the British Isles, the chough is found in Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, parts of western Scotland, and Ireland.
Unfortunately, changes in livestock management and persecution led to a decline in their populations, and they became extinct in much of England. The chough is known for its distinctive red bills and legs and impressive acrobatic flights around seaside cliffs, often in flocks.
The chough’s scientific name, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is an example of a tautonym, where the genus and specific name are the same.
This non-migratory resident is the least common member of the crow family and is also known as the Cornish chough.
Adult males and females have a similar appearance: an all-over glossy black plumage with a blue-green sheen. They have striking red legs and a long, tapered, slightly curved bill. Their eyes are black, and they have large square wings and a square tail. They are slightly larger than jackdaws. Juvenile plumage has a matt look compared to the adults, with a pale orange-red bill and red legs.
Choughs enjoy feeding from old coastal pastures, digging up earthworms, beetles, ants, and other readily available insects and invertebrates using their purpose-designed bill to probe into the soil. They will also take small molluscs and lichen.
Choughs are found throughout southern Europe and beyond. They can only be found in remote locations in the far west of Wales, western Scotland, and Cornwall, where they have only recently been reintroduced.
Choughs favour sea caves, ruined buildings or holes and fissures in cliff faces to nest. They tend to inhabit mountain areas or high coastal cliffs.
According to Cornish legend, King Arthur was transformed into a chough on his deathbed, hence the bird’s red bill and legs.
The county crest of Cornwall features a single chough, and in the 1960s, the coat of arms for the Duchy of Cornwall incorporated two choughs facing each other.
Choughs often fly in pairs or small flocks, soaring and diving around cliff edges, and they are both graceful and agile.
The fingers of their primary wing feathers are easy to spot from the ground as they cavort overhead in an endless exhibition of aerobatic manoeuvring.
Nests can be bulky, made of sticks, roots, heather, and other plants, and lined with hair and wool. Between May and July, one brood of three and five white eggs with brown or grey blotches is produced.
Eurasian magpie (Pica pica)
The magpie, also known as the common magpie, is a distinctive bird native to the British Isles. It is the only magpie species found in this region, with the Iberian magpie being the only other magpie species found in Europe.
This bird has a pied plumage of black and white, blue wings, and a long tail, which makes it easily identifiable. Its scientific name, Pica pica, is an example of a tautonym, where the genus and specific name are the same.
The magpie is a long-tailed corvid with stunning black and white plumage, making it more striking than any crow. It is also one of the most intelligent birds in the world and is often associated with various superstitions.
Magpies are about the size of a dove, with their large, diamond-shaped tails making up about half of their total body length. They weigh between 160 to 250 grams, with females generally being lighter than males. Adult wingspans vary between 52 and 60 centimetres.
Juvenile magpies resemble adults but have shorter tails and duller plumage without the iridescent gloss. These unmistakable birds have black heads, backs, and chests, with pure white underparts and large patches above and below each wing. Males and females are difficult to distinguish, although females are slightly smaller.
Magpies are classified as songbirds, although their calls may not be pleasant to the ear. However, they have a remarkable vocal range and can produce a variety of calls, including warbling and mimicry.
Magpies are omnivorous and rely heavily on live and dead animals as their primary food source. They are intelligent and opportunistic scavengers and hunters who mostly scavenge on the ground. They also raid nests and occasionally catch flying prey. Their diet includes beetles, insects, rodents, frogs, reptiles, eggs, nestlings, small adult birds, roadkill, fruits, berries, and seeds.
During times of abundance, Magpies demonstrate an exciting behaviour called caching, where they bury excess food around their territory to consume when food is scarce.
Baby Magpies feed on insects and other soft foods, such as meat scraps. Both male and female Magpies take part in feeding their young, although males usually provide more food.
Magpies are common in the UK; you can easily spot them near your home. They have an extensive global distribution, including virtually all of Europe and extending through Asia to North Korea and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
Magpies are habitat generalists at home in gardens, parks, farmland and urban areas, although they avoid treeless landscapes and dense forests. When foraging for food, magpies walk or run along the ground but spend most of their time perched on buildings, walls, trees, and other structures safe from terrestrial predators.
Their feet have three toes pointing towards and one pointing backwards, giving them an uneven, jerky motion when walking.
You have a good chance of seeing magpies near your home wherever you live in the United Kingdom. Listen out for their loud chattering call to locate these intelligent birds. Magpies’ short, rounded wings in flight show large white panels on the ‘hand’. They flutter when on a straight course, with occasional sweeping glides. When on the ground, they make strong bounds while the tail jerks up and down.
Magpies carry a confident, almost arrogant air about them. They sometimes gather in noisy flocks of 5-25 birds, known as magpie parliaments. In winter, they may roost in larger flocks containing over 300 birds. Despite their bold nature, they still face threats from predators. Magpies have an average lifespan of three to five years, but some can live for more than 21 years.
While Magpies have fewer predators than other garden birds, domestic cats and foxes can still pose a threat. Birds of prey, such as Female Sparrowhawks and Tawny Owls, are also known to hunt Magpies.
Magpies are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981. There are around 650,000 Magpies in the United Kingdom, and they have a green conservation status. This means they are classified as a “Least Concern” species globally.
Magpies prepare their nests in the winter, although they only lay eggs in April. They build their nests in trees or thorny vegetation to protect themselves from predators. Building their large, dome-shaped nests can take several weeks, and both male and female Magpies have a role in the construction.
Magpies usually lay between five and seven eggs, which are blueish or greenish and speckled. Each egg is about 35 millimetres long and 24 millimetres wide.
Magpie pairs mate for life and form a close bond. They will stay together even during the non-breeding season when they may join larger flocks. Despite this, Magpies are not the most popular in the UK, partly because of their cheeky nature and tendency to raid other birds’ nests. Magpies can be very aggressive towards each other during the breeding season. They will call and perch in prominent positions to warn off intruders. However, if these warnings are ignored, territorial pairs may resort to physical violence.
Magpies are also known to act aggressively towards other birds, such as Gulls and Sparrowhawks. They may even harass other animals, such as squirrels, at times. Additionally, they can dominate other birds at bird tables, especially if meaty foods are available.
During the breeding season, Magpies sleep near their nests. In the winter, they often roost in large communal flocks of up to 1700 individuals in eastern Europe.
Magpies are present in the United Kingdom throughout the year, even on the coldest winter days. Although they will travel longer distances to avoid extreme weather elsewhere in Europe and Asia, they are generally sedentary and usually spend their lives within a radius of a few kilometres. Therefore, they are not considered actual migrants.
According to an old Magpie nursery rhyme, a single Magpie is an omen of bad luck, while two Magpies signify joy. Some superstitious individuals still resort to amusing antics like saluting the birds and calling out Good morning, Mr or Mrs Magpie to prevent misfortune.
Magpies are intelligent birds that generally regard humans as a potential threat. A study suggested that they can recognise individual human faces and will respond negatively towards people who have previously threatened their nests while ignoring other humans. They are one of just three known birds with this ability.
Many bird lovers criticise Magpies for their nest-raiding habits. However, these birds are following their instincts and survival strategies. There is no evidence that Magpies reduce songbird numbers through predation, although they can deter more welcome birds from visiting our gardens. Magpies are shy and nervous birds. Wild individuals do not tame easily and will usually take off at the slightest hint of danger.
Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)
The jay is a member of the crow family. Unlike other corvids, Jays have less black colouration and are very colourful birds.
They have a cinnamon body, black and white wings with a bright blue patch, a white rump, a black tail, a pale streaked crown, a black ‘moustache’, and a pale chin. Both male and female Jays look alike, and juveniles have darker red-brown plumage and bolder black barring on the blue wing patch.
Although they have a mix of colours, Jays are hard to spot because they are typically found in woodlands and are relatively shy. Jays are known for caching food, especially acorns, to eat later, usually burying them in autumn and retrieving them in winter.
The Jay is a medium-sized bird that is larger than the blackbird. It has a body length of 34 to 35 centimetres, well-developed legs, a medium-length tail, and a bill. Jays weigh 140 to 190 grams, making them the smallest corvid in the UK, with a 52 to 58 centimetres wingspan.
Jays have a surprising vocal range. The typical Jay call is a raucous, rasping screech, often produced when the birds are alarmed by predators or humans. These intelligent birds can mimic other birds and even mammals like horses and cats. They frequently mimic the call of the Buzzard, so take a closer look next time you hear the ‘kee-ah’, as it might just be a Jay!
Jays have a varied diet, and their habit of storing food shows an impressive level of forward-thinking. Jays are opportunistic and omnivorous, although specific food sources dominate their diet. Various fruits, nuts, invertebrates, small mammals, bird eggs, and nestlings are all on the menu. Acorns are an essential component of their diet, often cached to provide a food source in the spring and winter. The jay is one of nature’s most essential planters of acorns.
Jays are usually shy around humans but eat peanuts and suet at the bird table if left undisturbed.
Baby Jays rely on both parents to bring food back to the nest. Insects are the most crucial food source, and these are collected nearby. Jay chicks fledge the nest after about three weeks but may be fed for another two months before gaining independence.
The range of Jays in the UK is extensive, with their population growing towards the north and west. However, their habitat availability is limited due to certain specific requirements. They can be found almost everywhere except in high-lying areas of Scotland, northern England, and some coastal areas in the east.
The Jay is a woodland species that prefers habitats with abundant oak and beech trees. They can also be found in UK gardens, parks, and orchards.
Jays live in well-wooded and forested areas where they spend most of their time in trees, searching for insects and other food. They occasionally come down to the ground to search for food like acorns and bury extra food under the leaf litter.
The Eurasian Jay is widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, ranging from Ireland in the west to Japan in the east. They can be found as far south as Southeast Asia and North Africa. Jays are common in the United Kingdom, although they are rarely seen away from well-wooded habitats. An estimated 170,000 breeding territories were occupied in 2016.
Jays are shy and cautious birds. They are usually seen flying away from an observer, showing rounded wings and a striking black-and-white rump and tail pattern while emitting a harsh alarm. Their flight is characteristically bouncy. Although they may form small groups outside the breeding season, they prefer a solitary existence.
The Jay has an average life expectancy of about four years, although there are records of birds surviving 16 to 18 years in the wild. They are vulnerable to predators such as Sparrowhawks, Goshawks, and domestic cats.
Eurasian Jays are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 in the United Kingdom. Jays are not considered an endangered species. They are assessed as ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List and have a green conservation status in the United Kingdom.
Male Jays typically choose the nest site in a coniferous or broad-leaved tree. They build the nest at the junction of the trunk and a giant branch, usually well hidden by foliage. They may also occasionally nest in vines, creepers, cavities, buildings, and larger nest boxes.
Jays begin breeding in their second year. They nest in the spring and produce a single brood each year. Egg laying usually occurs in early to mid-May; incubation takes 16 or 17 days. The young birds fledge the nest after 19 to 23 days. Jays in the UK usually lay four or five olive-green eggs with fine brown speckles. The average egg is approximately 30 millimetres long and 23 millimetres wide. Jays mate for life and maintain a strong pair bond through courtship displays and mutual feeding. The males will observe their partners to determine their desired food.
Jays are incredibly intelligent birds known for their ability to mimic other species, store food for future needs, and provide their partners with their favourite foods. They belong to the Corvid family, which is known for its intelligence. During the breeding season, Jays are territorial and aggressive towards other individuals. They chase off their offspring before nesting and may even resort to physical conflict if necessary. However, the Jays in the UK are not known for their aggression compared to their American counterparts.
Jays play a crucial role in shaping the natural environment and creating habitats they require by planting oak trees. They bury over 2000 acorns before the winter, many of which germinate. By transporting acorns into old fields, Jays can even regenerate woodlands destroyed by human activities like farming.
Jays are generally resident throughout the year and rarely move long distances. However, continental birds from northern Europe may form considerable flocks in years when acorns are scarce and migrate to neighbouring regions, including the United Kingdom. They are native to the UK and have been recorded for hundreds of years, even in the works of William Shakespeare.
Jays and Magpies belong to the Corvidae family but are not the same bird. Magpies are pied, long-tailed birds from the Pica genus, while Jays are smaller, colourful species from the Garrulus genus. Despite their woodland heritage, Jays can be seen in London’s parks and gardens. They are more habituated to our presence and maybe bolder and more accessible to observe than their wilder relatives.
Jackdaws are communal birds that roost in large trees within woodlands during the winter. Witnessing these agile and wheeling flocks of birds arriving and departing can be a wonderful but noisy experience. During the breeding season, the large groups dissolve temporarily as the pairs of birds roost together near their nests.
We hope you have enjoyed Wildlife Matter’s guide to the Corvids of Britain. Please see part one to learn more about the Raven, Rook, Hooded and Carrion Crow and the Jackdaw.
We are huge fans of corvids and will bring you in-depth blogs on each of these captivating corvids, including some field studies in the future.
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