Rook
Corvus frugilegus - Corbeau freux
Systematics
-
Order:
Passeriformes
-
Family:
Corvidés
-
Genus:
Corvus
-
Species:
frugilegus
Descriptor
Biometrics
- Size: 46 cm
- Wingspan: 81 à 94 cm.
- Weight: 380 à 520 g
Longevity
20 years
Geographic range
Identification
The Corvid family includes the largest known passerines, the aptly named Great Raven being the largest. The Rook is smaller but still measures between 45 and 50 cm in length, with an average wingspan of 90 cm. The proportions are similar, and the silhouette too, but with the tail simply rounded at the end. From afar, it can be mistaken, but fortunately the voice is very different, as discussed further on. Confusion with the Carrion Crow is possible, but again the voice can be used to differentiate. It is slimmer and more elongated than the crow, and its gait on the ground seems a bit awkward. In flight, the crow has wings that are wider but shorter than those of the rook, and the tail is shorter. The silhouette is peculiar, with the back tapered due to the long wings pointing towards the end of the tail. The head does not have the roundness of that of a crow, but usually shows a convex forehead. But what stands out at reasonable distance in the case of the nominate subspecies that concerns us is its beak, grey, long and pointed, sometimes slightly curved. It is so obvious that it almost obscures the head. Its base is covered with light grey naked skin both above and below. The plumage is entirely black, lustrous, with a blue or purple sheen in the sun. The eyes and legs are black, the latter having elongated trousers. The male is slightly bigger than the female. The pastinator subspecies from the east of the continent differs from frugilegus in its feathered rather than bare face, and therefore it is important to take a good look at the beak shape. The juvenile can be mistaken for a crow, and it is important to look at the head. The beak is the same as that of the adult, long and pointed, but it is black and the culmen is covered for half of its length with bristles, as in the case of a crow.Therefore, one must be very vigilant. Fortunately, the voice and gregarious behavior of the Rook is an appreciable help. A young Rook always has adult birds around him.
Subspecific information 2 subspecies
- Corvus frugilegus frugilegus (Europe to c Asia)
- Corvus frugilegus pastinator (e Asia)
Foreign names
- Corbeau freux,
- Graja,
- gralha-calva,
- Saatkrähe,
- vetési varjú,
- Roek,
- Corvo comune,
- råka,
- Kornkråke,
- havran čierny,
- havran polní,
- Råge,
- mustavaris,
- graula,
- Bláhrafn,
- gawron (zwyczajny),
- krauķis,
- poljska vrana,
- Грач,
- ミヤマガラス,
- 秃鼻乌鸦,
- 禿鼻鴉〔禿鼻烏鴉〕,
Voice song and cries
The contact call, typical for the Rook, is a very harsh and unpleasant raaarrh to the human ear. Its nasal tone is different from the crow's call, but the difference may not be evident to an untrained ear. The call is less loud and aggressive. Behaviour can help to distinguish them. Rooks are usually found in groups whereas crows, which are territorial, go in pairs. The rook's call can soften to a nasal hiiiin. The young ones in the nest demand loudly with high-pitched and raspy heiiinns.
Habitat
In Europe, the Rook is a species of the plain, mainly inhabiting large alluvial valleys and the first plateaus, locally reaching up to 500 m altitude.
Behaviour character trait
The most obvious character trait of the Rook is its gregariousness. It is mostly observed in groups. This gregariousness reaches its peak in the winter season when wintering birds gather at night in large flocks containing thousands of individuals.
Flight
The long wings and long tail of the Rook provide it with great agility in flight. It often has the opportunity to show this off during group flights above colonies or roosts, or even just for fun when the conditions are right. While the flight may be erratic in these cases, it is swift and direct between the colony and foraging areas during nesting.
Dietfeeding habits
The Rook feeds on the ground which it traverses with its gangly gait, almost always in a group. It is an omnivore, much less inclined to necrophagy than some of its relatives.
Reproduction nesting
The Rook is an exclusively colonial species for reproduction. A colony may count a few nests only or even thousands depending on the environmental conditions. In a beautiful colony, some nests are almost nested within each other so much that their density can be important. There is therefore no really territory for this species. Trees are often chosen as nesting sites, poplars, planes and other chestnut trees, so often near the human, for example in an urban park. A colony is perennial and reoccupied year after year as long as the bearing trees are healthy.
Geographic range
The Rook's breeding area extends almost continuously from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific in temperate latitudes on the Eurasian continent. The boundary between the two subspecies passes through Mongolia. It is very local both to the north, for example in Fenno-Scandia, and to the south in Mediterranean climate, for example in Spain. It is absent in Italy and the Mediterranean Islands. The birds in the north of the area are migratory and spend the winter in the south of Europe, in Central Asia up to the north of the Persian Gulf and in China.
Threats - protection
IUCN conservation status
concern
in the Wild
threatened
evaluated
The nominal subspecies of the Rook is common and abundant, not threatened at all. On the other hand, the orientale pastinator subspecies has dropped enormously in the last century and is currently rare to uncommon.
Sources of information
- IOC World Bird List (v14.1), Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2024-04-18.
- Les passereaux d'Europe, tome 1, P. Géroudet, M. Cuisin
- Birds of the World, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- xeno-canto, Sharing bird sounds from around the world,
Other sources of interest
Translation by AI Oiseaux.net
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