Rook: Competition

This sociable bird is readily found in farming areas, feeding on insects and grubs as well as sown grain and peas. Believing that rooks were pests, farmers for centuries killed them. In fact, James I of Scotland introduced a law in 1424 to eliminate all rooks from his kingdom. However, the rook has managed to survive through it all.

This glossy black bird with a white beak is a part of European folklore. “As the crow flies” originally referred to the steady flight of the rook. An English legend says the Tower of London will fall and the Monarchy will be in danger if less than six rooks live there. In addition, many people believed that the desertion of a rookery to be a bad omen. Local English folklore says that someone in the area will die, and that no heir will be born to the family of the Manor.

A gregarious bird, the rook is very colonial, preferring to live in a large flock (called a Parliament). In belonging to her Parliament, the rook follows certain rules. There is a ‘pecking order’ in which the oldest bird lives at the center of the rookery, where he is sheltered from the wind. When the Parliament is feeding, rook sentries are posted to warn the other rooks when danger threatens. Their loud echoing “caws” can be heard throughout the countryside.

Loyal to her mate and to her rookery, the rook returns to the same nest site every year, with her Parliament. During the fall, her mate finds a high and solitary spot and sings to her. When the female rook responds, he offers food to her. After the male rook feeds her, he bows and calls to the female from a branch. High in the trees, they build an untidy nest of twigs. (Local folklore says if the rook’s nest “be high in the treetops, be a fine summer; if be low, then summer be wet and cold”.)

However, there are times when the rook is fiercely competitive. During nesting time, Mother Rook stands guard for many days over her nesting spot, fighting off other rooks. She quarrels with her friends over the best sticks to build her nest. Later, Mother and Father Rook will compete for food with other rook parents to feed their chicks. Unfortunately, with many birds trying to grab as much food as they can, many rook chicks fail to survive.

The rook teaches proper ways to compete. When she looks for food, she does it for her chicks. In being the most competitive, the rook gets the most food for them. However, do not be so fiercely competitive that you cause others to fail to thrive.
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Crow Family: Saving Resources

The crow family (Corvidae) includes a large group of birds besides crows and their brother ravens. Also belonging to the crow family are the choughs, jays, magpies, and nutcrackers. What do all these birds have in common? They are curious, intelligent, noisy, outrageous, and social.

Throughout the ages, people have either loved or hated Corvids, but they have never ignored them. People gave distinctive names for groups of these birds: a murder of crows, an unkindness of ravens, a tiding of magpies, a chattering of choughs, and a scold of jays. Having a property with a Parliament of rooks living there is considered to be good fortune. Raven lore ranges from North American beliefs of Raven as the Trickster to the Norse raven companions of Odin. Furthermore, many people believe as long as ravens (or rooks) live at the Tower of London, the Crown of England shall be safe. Beliefs involving other members are: magpies steal, crows foretell death, and jays bring bad luck.

What are these birds that grab people’s attention? The most familiar group is crows and ravens, who are also the most widespread of the Corvids. These sooty black birds are noted for their quick-wittedness. Crows and ravens use their intelligence to good use in finding food.

In their glossy all-black plumage, the choughs resemble crows. You find them living on cliffs or in mountains of Eurasia. Unlike the black-beaked crow, the chough has either a yellow or scarlet bill.

Meanwhile, jays are considered to be the most primitive of the Corvids. As the oldest of Corvids, They originated in Eurasia and spread throughout the New World. Jays are noted for their colorfulness, with many having blue or green plumage.

Magpies and treepies are highly social birds. These black and white birds are well known for their chatter. One part of the magpie’s name comes from mag, which is Old English for “chatterer”. Regarded as thieves, magpies like bright shiny things, which they take and hide.

Nutcrackers, which live in pine forests, are remarkable for the extent of their dependence on cached stores of seeds. Permanent residents of forests, they do not migrate but live through hard winters on their saved food. Called nutcrackers, they eat mainly hazel nuts and pine seeds.

Members of the crow family save for the future. They store food to help them through hard times. Before beginning to eat, Corvids will take the trouble to hide a large quantity of food. They carry the food in their throats until they find a hole to hide the food in. Corvids memorize where they hid their food and return to their stores when they need to.

We can learn from the crow family how to refrain from consuming everything in sight. Learn the discipline to save some for the future when lean times arrive. If we have discipline and fortitude like the crow family, our hidden stores will be there for us during hard times.
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