Rook

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Rook in the UK

The Rook is a resident, with about 980,000 pairs in the UK. It breeds in most lowland farmland and is missing only from the highest ground, the far north-west of Scotland and the centres of big cities. Numbers grew by about 40% between the mid 1970s and mid 1990s but have since dropped by 26% (1995 to 2024), with the steepest falls in Wales and Scotland. It is now Amber-listed. Changes in farming that reduce access to soil invertebrates are the suspected cause. Some rookeries have been used for more than a century.

Where and when to see a Rook

Mixed farmland with pasture, arable fields and clumps of tall trees. Rookeries are easiest to find from February to April, before the leaves open: look for clusters of big stick nests in the tops of trees by villages, churchyards, farms and roadsides, with birds coming and going all day. Flocks feed on grassland, stubble and freshly ploughed or cut fields, often with Jackdaws. On winter evenings, watch for long lines flying to shared roosts in woodland, which can hold thousands. Motorway service areas also have scavenging birds.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Farmland, parkland.
Diet: Worms, grain, scraps.
Field note: Bare grey face; nests in colonies.

How to identify a Rook

Crow-sized and black with a purple gloss. Adults have bare greyish-white skin around the base of the bill and face, making the bill look long, pale and dagger-like. The crown is peaked, with a steep forehead, and loose thigh feathers give it baggy "trousers". It walks with a waddle. In flight the wingtips look more fingered and the tail more rounded than a Carrion Crow's. Young birds have a feathered black face until their first winter and are easy to mistake for crows: check the peaked head and thinner, more pointed bill.

Call and song

A flat, dry "kaah" or "graah", less harsh and less rolling than a Carrion Crow, and not usually given in threes. A rookery in spring is a constant noise of caws, croaks and high squeaks. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Carrion Crow: Carrion Crow has a fully feathered black face, a stouter blunt bill, a flat crown and neat thighs, and is usually alone or in pairs.
• Jackdaw: Jackdaw is clearly smaller with a grey nape, a short bill and a pale eye.
• Northern Raven: Raven is much bigger with a massive bill, shaggy throat and a long wedge-shaped tail, and gives a deep croak.

Related guide UK garden birds.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Rook is a Common tier bird, worth +1 point when you log one. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• JackdawCommon · Farmland
• Carrion CrowCommon · Everywhere
• Hooded CrowUncommon · Scotland
• Northern RavenUncommon · Mountains
• Stock DoveCommon · Parkland
• Little OwlUncommon · Farmland

Tell it apart

Side-by-side ID guides: Crow vs Rook vs Raven vs Jackdaw.

Rook: quick answers

What is the difference between a Rook and a Crow?

An adult Rook has a bare, pale face and a peaked head; a Carrion Crow's face is all black and feathered. Rooks nest in colonies and feed in flocks, while crows nest alone. The old country saying holds up well: a crow in a crowd is a Rook, and a Rook on its own is a crow.

What does a Rook eat?

Earthworms, leatherjackets and beetle larvae dug from grassland are the mainstay. It also takes grain, seeds, acorns, roots, carrion and scraps. The bare face is thought to help keep feathers clean when probing deep into soil.

What habitat does a Rook live in?

Open farmland with tall trees for nesting. It needs grass or bare soil it can probe, so it does best where pasture and arable are mixed. It avoids dense forest, open moorland and built-up city centres, though it is at home in villages and small towns.

Kit that helps

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