The Daurian jackdaw (''Coloeus dauuricus'') is a

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Corvidae Corvidae is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan Family (biology), family of Songbird, oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, Rook (bird), rooks, magpies, jackdaws, jays, treepies, choughs, and Nutcracker (bird), nutcrackers ...

, native to eastern Asia. It is closely related to the

western jackdaw The western jackdaw (''Coloeus monedula''), also known as the Eurasian jackdaw, the European jackdaw, or simply the jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and western North Africa; it is mostly resi ...

. The name derives from the

Dauria Dauriya (, also romanized as ''Dauriia'' or ''Dauria'') is a historical and geographical region of Russia spanning modern Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai and the Amur Region. The toponym is given according to the Daur people who inhabited the region ...

region of eastern Russia.

Description

At about 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 Plumage () is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can b ...

; many but not all 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

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (given name), a feminine given name, and a list of peopl ...

es, unlike the distinctive grey-white irises of the Eurasian jackdaw. The only other pied corvid species inhabiting the same region is the Chinese collared crow (''Corvus torquatus''), but as this is a much larger bird (about the same size or slightly larger than the

carrion crow The carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae, native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic. Taxonomy and systematics The carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus ...

), confusion is unlikely to occur.

Distribution and habitat

The Daurian jackdaw ranges from the southern part of eastern

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

, south to

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

and throughout much of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. In the north of its range it migrates further south during the winter. It is a scarce winter visitor to

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, a rare annual winter visitor to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and a vagrant to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. There are a few records from

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

. It inhabits open woodland, river valleys, and open hills and mountains.

Behaviour

It is a sociable species often found in association with

rook Rook or rooks may refer to: Games *Rook (chess), a piece in chess that moves horizontally and vertically * Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game People, characters, individuals *a rookie, a rook * Russell Rook, Baron Rook (The Lord Rook; 21 ...

Feeding

The food is similar to that of the

and includes cultivated grains, insects, berries, eggs, carrion, and faeces.

Breeding

The species will nest in trees where suitable cavities cannot be found, though

tree hollow A tree hollow or tree hole is a semi-enclosed cavity which has naturally formed in the trunk or branch of a tree. They are found mainly in old trees, whether living or not. Hollows form in many species of trees. They are a prominent feature of n ...

s, rock openings and ruined buildings are still favoured. The eggs are similar to those of the western jackdaw.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q201461

Daurian jackdaw The Daurian jackdaw (''Coloeus dauuricus'') is a bird in the crow family, Corvidae, native to eastern Asia. It is closely related to the western jackdaw. The name derives from the Dauria region of eastern Russia. Description At about in length ...

Birds of China Birds of Manchuria Birds of Mongolia

Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN Daurian fauna and flora