Dohlen Galicia

The western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) is Germany's smallest native corvid, measuring 33 to 39 cm. Its plumage looks predominantly black with a metallic blue gloss on the crown, while the nape, hindcrown and ear coverts are clearly set off in pale to slate grey. The most striking field mark is the pale blue-white iris of adult birds, which makes them unmistakable at close range. Compared with the considerably larger carrion crow, the jackdaw appears compact, the bill is shorter and the flight is faster and more agile. It is distinguished from the black-and-white magpie by the absence of any white plumage and by its short tail.

Jackdaws inhabit open landscapes with breeding and roosting sites at old buildings, church towers, castles and ruins, on cliffs and in quarries, and in stands of mature trees with cavities in parks, avenues and open woodland. For foraging they require open ground with short vegetation. Jackdaws are highly social, breed in colonies and form lifelong monogamous pair bonds. They communicate through a broad vocal repertoire, including the characteristic metallic "kjak" call. Behavioural studies show that jackdaws form analogies, recognise individual conspecifics and operate within complex social hierarchies, placing them among the cognitively most capable songbirds.

Under German law the status of the jackdaw is unambiguous: it is not listed in the Federal Hunting Act and is therefore neither a huntable species nor subject to a closed season, but falls fully under the protection of the Federal Nature Conservation Act and the EU Birds Directive. This means year-round protection, with deliberate killing, capture or disturbance and the destruction of breeding sites prohibited. The jackdaw appears on Red Lists or early-warning lists in several German federal states, and NABU and LBV named it Bird of the Year 2012 to draw attention to the loss of traditional nesting sites through building renovation. For hunters this means that jackdaws are not hunted, and reliable identification in the field is essential to separate them from huntable corvids such as the carrion crow and the magpie.