THE ANIMAL FILES

Western jackdaw

Coloeus monedula

A pair can stay together inside a much larger flock.

Western jackdaws are sociable corvids whose calls, postures and pair relationships shape flock life. Large evening gatherings do not erase the close associations between partners. Mutual head and neck preening makes some of those relationships visible.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Western jackdaw
Image: Darkone · Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5
Social pattern
Pair bonds within flocks[1]
Contact
Metallic calls often given in flight[1]
Preening
Partners commonly preen head and neck[1]

Flocking without losing the pair

Jackdaws gather for communal roosting and can associate with other corvids. Mated pairs remain together within flocks and commonly settle near each other. Autumn flocks can expand as birds converge on roosts. The visible crowd thus contains relationships at more than one scale, rather than a collection of interchangeable birds.[1]

Several calls for several situations

The metallic contact call is frequently heard in flight. Other sounds occur when offering or begging for food, and a drawn-out alarm call accompanies danger or mobbing. Nestling voices also change as the young develop. Calling should therefore be interpreted with context and life stage, not treated as one fixed sound for the species.[1]

A request to preen

A bird can show its nape and ruffle head feathers to solicit preening. Mutual preening concentrates on the head and neck and occurs mainly within pairs. Other postures, such as lowering the bill and raising head feathers, occur in confrontations. Similar body parts can participate in very different interactions, so the full sequence matters.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does a large flock mean pair relationships disappear?

No. Partners maintain close association within the flock.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why distinguish a preening invitation from a threat by more than raised feathers?

Reveal the explanation

Both can involve feather changes; head position, partner identity and the following interaction supply additional evidence.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Coloeus monedula (adapted and translated; exact revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Coloeus monedula (identity and game lineage)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Blue jayBlue feathers can be blue without blue pigment.Cyanocitta cristata ↗Eurasian magpieA stick dome shelters more than a black-and-white bird.Pica pica ↗Common ravenA raven may hide today’s surplus for a later meal.Corvus corax ↗