A to Z challenge 2023 – J is for . . .
My
theme for this challenge is Nature in all much of her wonderful
diversity. My posts will reflect the fact that I am resident in the south of
England.
All
photographs in this post are the property of the writer.
J is for
Jackdaw (Corvus Monedula)
The
jackdaw is the smallest member of the corvid family, widespread across the
British Isles, apart from the far north-west of Scotland. It is an adaptable
bird, living in habitats as diverse as coastal reaches, woodland and towns and
gardens, and nesting on cliffs or in holes in trees or chimneys.
Best foot forward . . . The jackdaw’s
diet consists of seeds, fruit, insects and carrion and occasionally eggs, hatchlings
or nestlings.
Jackdaws will also inhabit church
steeples, which habit was remarked by the 18th century poet, William
Cowper:-
‘A
great frequenter of the church,
Where
bishop-like he finds a perch
And
dormitory too.’
In parts
of Wales the jackdaw was considered sacred because of this practice.
A legend
among early Christians was that all corvids were originally white and took on
black plumage after the crucifixion of Christ, with the exception of magpies,
which were too busy stealing to mourn properly and only turned black in parts. I
don’t know where jays came in the equation, though!
A jackdaw on the roof may announce a birth or
might equally be a portent of death (or
possibly, macabrely, both) If a jackdaw stands on a cathedral weather vane
it is foretelling rain, and if one is encountered on the way to a wedding it is
considered good luck.
Jackdaw high in an oak treeThe common
name jackdaw first came into use in the 16th century and probably derives
from ‘Jack’ meaning rogue, or small (as
in jack snipe and jack knife) or from the sound it makes (tchack), and daw, once used to describe
a simpleton.
Jackdaws have
an affinity with humans and can recognise individuals, a skill they share with
other corvids.
This smallest of the crows is credited with
intelligence, mischievousness, shrewdness and thievery – all other attributes it
has in common with (some) humans!
Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
This Jay's crop is quite full!The jay
is the most colourful of the corvids but is shy and therefore not often seen in
gardens. In autumn jays forage for acorns and bury them in caches to provide
food in leaner periods. Those that are not found are left to grow into oak
trees. The rapid spread of oak trees after the last Ice Age is thought to be a
consequence of the jay’s habit of caching and leaving.
Before
oak trees were planted commercially, jays were the main source of distribution and
propagation, a single bird having the ability to spread more than a thousand
acorns annually. They have been recorded carrying single acorns a distance of
20 km (almost 12½ miles)
In addition
to acorns, jays eat other nuts, seeds and insects, and like their fellow corvids,
they will sometimes take eggs and nestlings from nests.
Though their
natural call is unmusical, a screech rather than a tune, jays are gifted mimics,
reproducing the songs of small birds, and the alarm calls of blackbirds. They can
also imitate everyday domestic sounds, like dripping taps, humming machines and
humans whistling.
An
interesting habit that jays share with more than 200 species of birds is that
of ‘anting’. Birds may practice ‘active anting’ in which they pick up ants in
their beaks and rub them on their bodies, or they may use ‘passive anting’, when
they lie with wings outspread in an area rich in ants. In both cases, the ants
react defensively, secreting formic acid, which acts as an insecticide to kill
off parasitic mites in the feathers.
