Bird Guide

Daurian Jackdaw vs Western Jackdaw

Daurian Jackdaw (Coloeus dauuricus)

Daurian Jackdaw

Coloeus dauuricus

Around 32 cm (13 in) in length, the Daurian jackdaw is about the same size as or slightly smaller than the western jackdaw, with the same proportions and identical habits. The principal difference lies in the plumage, but many adults have large areas of creamy white on the lower parts extending up around the neck as a broad collar. The head, throat, wings, and tail are glossy black and the ear coverts are grizzled grey. Darker adults and young birds resemble western jackdaws, though Daurian jackdaws have black irises, unlike the distinctive grey-white irises of the Eurasian jackdaw.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Vladislav Isaev · CC BY 4.0
Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)

Western Jackdaw

Coloeus monedula

Medium240 gUrban

The western jackdaw measures 34–39 centimetres (13–15 in) in length and weighs around 240 grams (8.5 oz). Most of the plumage is a shiny black, with a purple (in subspecies monedula and spermologus) or blue (in subspecies cirtensis and soemmerringii) 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 length of which is about 75% of the length of the rest of the head. Voice: Western jackdaws are voluble birds. The main call, frequently given in flight, is a metallic and squeaky chyak-chyak or kak-kak. This is a contact or greeting call. A feeding call made by adults to call young, or males when offering food to their mates, has been transcribed as kiaw or kyow.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Western Jackdaw
Recorded by Philippe_Grange · Song · Arrondissement of Les Sables-d'Olonne (near Martinet), Vendée, Pays de la Loire, France · CC0
Photo: Radu Teodoreanu · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Daurian Jackdaw and Western Jackdaw.