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Legends of the Jackdaw
A bird with a rich history in folklore.
© Sue Cro / FCC
The catchy name “Jackdaw” belongs to a European bird that looks like a compact crow drawn in shades of light and dark gray. They are comfortable around people, which helps explain their place in folklore. Some cultures saw the Jackdaw as a predictor of rain, others as a savior of crops. Or possibly an omen of death. They flourish in urban landscapes, making them familiar to many people.
Today’s show is brought to you by the Bobolink Foundation.
BirdNote®
Legends of the Jackdaw
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
[Western Jackdaw, https://www.xeno-canto.org/156262, any of first 0.30]
The catchy name “Jackdaw” belongs to a European bird that looks like a compact crow drawn in shades of light and dark gray. Jackdaws fly in aerobatic flocks, tumbling and swooping along the vertical faces of cliffs and buildings.
[Western Jackdaw, https://www.xeno-canto.org/156262, any of first 0.30]
They are comfortable around people, which helps explain their place in folklore for many centuries. An ancient Greek myth held that to catch one, you need only a bowl of oil. Attracted to its own reflection, the bird will fall face first into the oil for easy capture.
[Western Jackdaw, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/303932921, 0.01-0.05]
Some cultures saw the Jackdaw as a predictor of rain, others as a savior of crops. Or possibly an omen of death. And some believed crossing paths with a Jackdaw en route to your wedding was a sign of good luck.
[Western Jackdaw, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/303932921, 0.01-0.05]
Pairs nest in cavities, and flocks roam open country — parks, farmland, quarries, and churchyards. They flourish in urban landscapes, too, where their mellow chatter announces that a tight flock will soon come streaming by.
Almost as if they wanted to dazzle you.
[Western Jackdaw, https://www.xeno-canto.org/156262, sounds from first 0.30]
For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
Today’s show is brought to you by the Bobolink Foundation.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Digital Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Western Jackdaw XC 156262 recorded by A. and O. Boucher, and Eurasian Jackdaw ML 303932921 recorded by W. Langdon.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2021 BirdNote Narrator: Michael Stein
EUJA-01-2021-08-04 EUJA-01
References:
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/facts-about-jackdaw…
https://www.countrylife.co.uk/nature/jackdaw-bird-just-loves-people-178…
Bob Sundstrom
Writer