The Rook is a medium-sized member of the Crow family. It can be seen throughout England near open fields, moorlands, farmlands, towns and cities. Rooks are sociable birds that like to build their nests alongside other nests to form a close-knit colony called a ‘rookery’. A rookery can consist of two nests or even two hundred nests.

The Rook has black feathers which sometimes have a purplish or reddish sheen to them, especially in strong light. It also has black legs and feet. It can easily be recognised because it has a bare patch of greyish skin at the base of its beak which develops only after the Rook is six months old. It has a flat forehead which makes the Rook’s head look slightly pointed. When the Rook is excited, it raises the feathers on the top of its head which then makes its head look square-shaped.

Rooks are very sociable birds that can often be seen in pairs or flying in flocks and when they fly they tumble and dive in the air together. They also spend a lot of time on the ground looking for food such as earthworms, beetles, small mammals and grain. They also eat flies, caterpillars, eggs from nests and dead animals.