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Rooks

 

 

The “black crows“ are migrant birds and we rather seldom see them flying alone – always in gangs. Rooks are all black and in the sun their plumage has a metallic-bluish gleam. The feet are black too. Around the beak of adults is an area without feathers – bare greyish-white skin. The “face” and beak of this year’s young rooks is still all dark (find the young bird in Arne’s photo).

 

Rooks are widely spread; the species arrived here in the 19^th century, with the warming climate. The colonies that disturb people in spring and during the breeding are located in churchyards, around manors, in city parks … They go foraging in pastures and fields and cultural landscapes; litter bins in the early morning city are interesting. In the evening they arrive to the nesting places of the colony. The rooks are certainly not lovers of order.

 

All crow family birds are extremely observant and intelligent birds. There are of course many irritating factors in connection with them; on the other hand they are useful as destroyers of damaging insects. Around ten thousand pairs of rooks nest in Estonia; they migrate towards south in October-November.