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23

Rook (Corvus frugilegus) German name(s): "Saatkrähe" Size: 41-49 cm; wing span 81-94 cm Weight: 330-600 g

Europe: Family Group 23 Family Group 23 Table Eurasian Nutcracker Red-billed Chough Alpine Chough Eurasian Jay Western Jackdaw Hooded Crow Carrion Crow Rook Common Raven Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description The Rook is a medium-sized corvid. Its plumage is all glossy-black. In some light conditions is can have a purplish sheen to it. The crown can have a "peaked" appearance. Their most distinguishing feature is the nearly triangular, rather slim, light-grey bill with a somewhat darker tip. Only juvenile Rooks have a feathery base to the bill. Adults do not have these feathers any longer and the bare base of the bill often renders their crop, when full, clearly visible. The eyes, which sit right behind the bare base of the bill, have black irises. The legs and feet are dark-grey.

Taxonomy, classification See Rook_(bird) at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Rook is available HERE . There are at least two races of Rooks, which are mostly sedentary. Their range extends from the British Isles, including Ireland, and Iberia in the West, through all of Europe except central and northern Scandinavia, into western and southern central Asia (to the Himalayas), with a southern boundary from about Lebanon to inland northern India, thus NOT reaching the coastlines of the Persian Gulf or the Indian Ocean. The eastern race reaches most of eastern China, Korea, far-eastern Russia and Japan. In Europe nominate race "frugilegus" is found anywhere South of about +60 degrees geographic latitude (i.e. up to southern Norway and Sweden and the southern coastal strip of Finland), including the Mediterranean islands and most of European Russia (except the far northern part). They are uncommon in the North of Iberia, hardly ever found in the South of the peninsula and have not yet been reported from anywhere in Portugal. Rooks often occupy habitats in open country that Common Ravens dislike, such as grassland, but also farming areas.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "frugilegus" D. Wilczynska reports spotting Rooks, nominate race "frugilegus", in Masovia, Poland, regularly. H. Dahlem-Senger reports spotting Rooks, nominate race "frugilegus", in the Rheingau, Hessen, Germany, regularly. H. Dahlem-Senger also found Rooks, nominate race "frugilegus", at Grüner Brink, Fehmarn, Germany, in May 2019. In June 2021 H. Dahlem-Senger found Rooks, nominate race "frugilegus", nesting at Dornumersieler Tief, Ostfriesland, Germany, in June 2021. M. Eaton reports finding a Rook, nominate race "frugilegus", near Padstow, Cornwall, England, in September 2019. J. Pires reports finding a bird in the Tejo estuary, Portugal, in November 2019, that we preliminarily identify as a Rook, nominate race "frugilegus". This location is outside the officially accepted range for the species. C. Pears spotted Rooks, nominate race "frugilegus", at Dublin Airport, Ireland, in September 2023. In the past we used to see Rooks, race "frugilegus", regularly in the Eifel and around Trier, Rheinland-Pfalz, and in the Saarland, Germany.

Photos

Race "frugilegus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Rook (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Padstow, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of a bird that we tentatively identify as a Rook (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2019]

Lateral view of a Rook (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Grüner Brink, Fehmarn, Germany, May 2019]

Lateral view of a Rook foraging in a recently slashed meadow; note the extended crop, which is visible because Rooks loose the feathers at the base of their bill (both bottom and top) when reaching maturity (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Brok, Masovia, Poland, June 2016]

Lateral view of Rooks foraging in a recently slashed meadow; note the extended crop of the bird in front
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Brok, Masovia, Poland, June 2016]

Rooks foraging in a recently slashed meadow; note the full crops (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Brok, Masovia, Poland, June 2016]

Lateral view of a Rook issuing its call (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, February 2017]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Rook (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Padstow, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Small flock of Rooks foraging in a recently slashed meadow (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Brok, Masovia, Poland, June 2016]

Rooks can also be found in other agricultural areas such as, in this example, vineyards (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Eltville, Hessen, Germany, June 2016]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Adult Rook, centre right, and juvenile Rook, back right, together with other corvids, namely Hooded Crows, front, and the smaller Western Jackdaws; note the immature Rook's feathery base of the bill (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Wizna, Masovia, Poland, January 2015]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Mar - Aug?

Eggs: 3 - 5

Incubation period: 16 - 18 days

Fledging age: 32 - 33 days

Nest building: Male & female

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Male & female

Rooks are colonial nesters. Nests from previous years may be reused after refurbishing. The male is usually the one who collects nest material, while the female puts it in place. Rooks will steal material for their nests from neighbours. Females will test their mates in bonding rituals, begging for food prior to mating. They usually have one clutch per year, with the female taking on the bulk of the incubation duties, while being fed by the male. The male continues feeding the female and the clutch until the chicks are ca. 10 days old. At that time the female joins its mate in search of food and the chicks are not brooded all day long any longer.

Nest

Type: Basket

Material: Sticks & earth, with grass, moss, roots, leaves or straw lining

Height above ground: ?

Rooks at their nests (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Dornumersieler Tief, Ostfriesland, Germany, June 2021]

Eggs

Size: 40 x 28 mm

Colour: Greyish-green, with copious grey and brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Rooks are very sociable. They breed in colonies and flock outside the breeding season, often in large numbers, in particular around roosts.

Food, Diet

Lateral view of a Rook, centre, in a flock with other corvids, namely Hooded Crows, left, and Western Jackdaws, front right and back right (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Wizna, Masovia, Poland, January 2015]

Rooks trying to beat other corvids, in this case the smaller Western Jackdaws, to a feed of silage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Wizna, Masovia, Poland, January 2015]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

rook_dw_20190415.m4a	frugilegus (Poland)	Contact calls?	© DW
rook_dw_20170201.m4a	frugilegus (Poland)	Contact calls?	© DW
rook_dw_20190729_1.m4a	frugilegus (Poland)	Break of dawn calls?	© DW
rook_dw_20190729_2.m4a	frugilegus (Poland)	Break of dawn calls?	© DW

More Rook sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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