14-8-2017 AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - EURASIAN JACKDAW (Corvus monedula)

The Western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) is a passerine bird in the crow family found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa. The common name of the bird derives from the word jack, denoting "small", and daw, a less common synonym for "jackdaw", and the native English name for the bird. Jackdaws are intelligent gregarious and very vocal birds that form strong long-lasting pair bonds.

Most of the bird's plumage is shiny black, with a purple or blue sheen on the crown, forehead, and secondaries, and a green-blue sheen on the throat, primaries, and tail. The cheeks, nape, and neck are light grey to greyish-silver, and the underparts are slate-grey. The legs are black, as is the short stout bill. The irises of adults are greyish or silvery-white while those of juveniles are light blue, becoming brownish before whitening at around one year of age. The sexes of this species look alike, though the head and neck plumage of male birds fades more with age and wear, particularly just before molting.

Western jackdaws are found from Northwest Africa through all of Europe, except for the subarctic north, and eastwards through central Asia to the eastern Himalayas and Lake Baikal. To the east, they occur throughout Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwestern India. These birds are mostly resident, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in the winter. Western jackdaws live in wooded steppes, pastures, cultivated land, coastal cliffs, and towns. Preferred habitats include a mix of large trees, buildings, and open ground.