
ROOK (Corvus frugilegus)
Although one of our most familiar birds, the rook is often confused with its cousin the carrion crow (C. corone), also black and of similar size. A closer look reveals differences in appearance: the mature rook has a whitish facial patch of bare skin, and its leg feathers give it the look of wearing breeches. However, the main distinguishing feature is, of course, the rook’s sociable nature, compared with the crow’s more solitary life. Rooks are birds of a fairly open landscape, in mixed farming country, with small woods and scattered trees.
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