Assistant conservation evidence officer
Crows, rooks and ravens are all part of the crow family, known as the corvids. The family also includes jackdaws, jays, magpies and choughs. These birds are intelligent, adaptable and able to exploit a wide range of food sources. The smaller members have distinctive features, but crows, rooks and ravens can be trickier to identify. Here are our tips on how to tell them apart.
The hooded crow, Corvus cornix, is the carrion crow’s close relative. Found in northwest Scotland, the Scottish Islands, Isle of Man and Ireland, it was recently recognised as a separate species. It's the same size and shape as a carrion crow but has a grey body with black head and wings.
Appearance: fully black, with black feathers covering the face all the way up to a black beak. Fairly large with a wing span of 93-104cm.
When to see: year-round.
Where to see: primarily England and Wales. Common in both rural and urban areas, from city centres to woods and moorland. It is absent from the north of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Behaviour: generally quite solitary. However, during the winter, they sometimes gather in larger flocks alongside other crows, rooks and jackdaws. This is the corvid you are most likely to see visiting your garden.
What they eat: these opportunistic birds have a versatile diet including insects, invertebrates, frogs, young birds and eggs, as well as food scraps on city streets, fruits, seeds and carrion. In Japan, carrion crows have been observed cracking open the hard outer shells of nuts by placing them in the path of moving cars, then swooping over to eat the exposed insides once the traffic lights turn red!
Nesting habits: carrion crows build large nests with sticks and other materials including bones, grass and rags. These solitary birds tuck their nests away in secretive locations, such as houses, tall bushes or trees.
What they sound like: their most recognisable call is a noisy, repeated 'caw-caw-caw'.
These acrobats of the sky ride air currents and perform playful tricks, such as turning upside-down mid-flight with their wings closed.
Appearance: the key distinguishing feature of a raven Corvus corax is its huge size! Their wingspan is 120-150cm – much larger than crows. They have thick necks with shaggy throat feathers and a thick, black bill.
When to see: year-round, though ravens are much less common than crows and rooks.
Where to see: primarily the west and north, mainly in coastal and upland areas. You’re unlikely to see wild ravens in urban areas.
Behaviour: unlike crows, ravens often gather in flocks. They tend to be monogamous, and some mating pairs will stay together for life.
What they eat: like other corvids, ravens adapt their diet based on what they can find, eating everything from carrion and small mammals to berries and seeds. Flocks of ravens sometimes descend upon seabird colonies, snatching and eating their eggs and nestlings.
Nesting habits: both male and female ravens work together to build a bulky nest from twigs and moss on cliffs, rocky outcrops and large, mature trees.
What they sound like: the raven call you'll hear most commonly is a low 'cronk-cronk' from the back of the throat. It is deeper and more musical than the crow's caw.
Rooks roost in groups with other corvids during the cold winter months. At dusk and dawn, these mixed flocks will take to the skies, calling loudly as they perform dazzling aerial displays.
Appearance: similar in size to crows, but their defining feature is bare white/greyish skin at the base of the slender grey bill. Their ruffled plumage can give them a somewhat scruffy appearance, while fluffy feathers on their upper legs resemble puffed-up pantaloons.
When to see: year-round.
Where to see: common in the UK, often seen feeding in flocks on fields. In springtime, look up at groups of tall trees in farmland and woodland.
Behaviour: a very sociable species so you’re unlikely to see a rook on its own. You might spot flocks of rooks working as a team to ‘mob’ birds of prey, driving these unwanted hunters away from their feeding areas and nests.
What they eat: similar to crows and ravens, these resourceful birds eat a variety of insects, nuts, seeds, small birds and mammals as well as carrion.
Nesting habits: rooks build their nests right at the tops of trees, in noisy groups known as rookeries. You are unlikely to miss them! Their large, messy nests can be spotted easily in winter through the bare branches of trees. Rooks will begin repairing their nests from February and some rookeries are used for decades.
What they sound like: similar to a crow's caw, but a little softer and coarser. They’re often heard calling in a group.
The Nature’s Calendar project tracks the effects of weather and climate change on wildlife across the UK – its records date all the way back to 1736! Rooks collecting nesting material is one of 150 wildlife events you can record for the project.
Join Nature’s Calendar to record your sightings – every record helps us better understand the effects of weather and climate change on our wildlife. By taking just a few minutes to share what you see, you'll be adding to hundreds of years' worth of important data. We couldn't do this work without you!
This blog was originally published on 14 January 2020, and was last updated on 31 July 2026 to include new information.
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