Overview
The rook is a member of the family Corvidae in the passerine order of birds. It is seen in the Palearctic, its range extending from Scandinavia & western Europe to eastern Siberia. It is a large, gregarious, black-feathered bird, distinguishable from similar species by the whitish featherless area on the face.
Habitat: The rook is a common bird with nearly one million pairs breeding each year. It occurs in farmland & open country across the UK, however it is rare in mountainous areas & fairly common in large towns & cities.
Diet/Prey: Rooks will eat almost anything, including worms, grain, nuts & insects, small mammals, birds (especially eggs & nestlings) aswell as Carrion.
Predators:
Adult rooks have few natural predators & forming large flocks help them to fend off any predators to some extent. Common Buzzards have been seen working together at rookeries to take eggs or chicks with one bird distracting the adults, while another goes into the nest & takes the eggs or chicks.
Subspecies: Two subspecies are recognised.
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