The Food and Feeding Behaviour of the Jackdaw, Rook and Carrion Crow

Abstract

This paper describes some aspects of the food aid feeding behaviour of adult jackdaws Corvus monedula, rooks Corvus frugilegus and carrion crows Corvus corone. The study area, consisting of about 60 square miles of mixed farmland, pasture, parkland and woodland has, as its centre, the University estate at Wytham 3 miles west of Oxford. All three species of corvid are common in the area. The work was done while holding a Nature Conservancy Post-Graduate Research Studentship at the Edward Grey Institute, Oxford. Dr D. Lack, F.R.S., supervised the research and D. F. Owen helped with some of the field-work. The following checked my identification of or initially identified the animals obtained from gizzards: D. F. Owen (Lepidoptera), Professor L. W. Grensted (Diptera), M. J. Davies (Coleoptera), M. Williamson (Gastropoda) and H. F. D. Elder (seeds). The farmers, Messrs. Wise, Cornish and Lane, gave unrestricted access to their respective farms. Dr Bruce Campbell kindly delivered corvid corpses, often within a few hours of their having been shot.