srspower Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 A few people recently have said to me:- 'That isn't a Crow it's a Jackdaw' This left me perplexed, a Jackdaw is a member of the Crow Family just like a Rook or Carrion Crow. And the RSPB describe them as 'a Small black crow' https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/j/jackdaw/ So why do people think they are not? I genuinely don't understand in what way people think they are correcting me? I can see the need to refer to a Magpie or a Jay specifically given they look different and so whilst being Corvids are not exactly Crows. But a Jackdaw? It's a Crow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Prawn Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 I expect its equal parts snobbery and knowledge, snobbery as there are many in the shooting fraternity who like to demonstrate their knowledge and opinions wherever possible (see the is it a weapon thread for further examples), and knowledge as yes they are crows but in the same vein as magpie, jay etc it's common for those in the know to be more specific ie a layman might see a fish whereas a fisherman would see a perch or pike etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebarrels Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 A few people recently have said to me:- 'That isn't a Crow it's a Jackdaw' This left me perplexed, a Jackdaw is a member of the Crow Family just like a Rook or Carrion Crow. And the RSPB describe them as 'a Small black crow' https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/j/jackdaw/ So why do people think they are not? I genuinely don't understand in what way people think they are correcting me? I can see the need to refer to a Magpie or a Jay specifically given they look different and so whilst being Corvids are not exactly Crows. But a Jackdaw? It's a Crow! Jackdaws and Crows look different well they do in Hampshire anyway Always find it best to describe all of them as Corvids rather than Jackdaws/Rooks/Crows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srspower Posted July 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 (edited) I expect its equal parts snobbery and knowledge, snobbery as there are many in the shooting fraternity who like to demonstrate their knowledge and opinions wherever possible (see the is it a weapon thread for further examples), and knowledge as yes they are crows but in the same vein as magpie, jay etc it's common for those in the know to be more specific ie a layman might see a fish whereas a fisherman would see a perch or pike etc? Yeah i can see that but where is the consistency? I have never heard anyone say:- 'That's not a Crow its a Rook' Or 'That's not a Crow it's a carrion Crow' I find it baffling! Jackdaws and Crows look different well they do in Hampshire anyway Always find it best to describe all of them as Corvids rather than Jackdaws/Rooks/Crows So which qualifies as a generic Crow then? Corvid is probably a safer option though, especially here! Edited July 18, 2015 by srspower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebarrels Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 (edited) If you want to group them together as generic that's fine,but I know the difference between them,they have different names as they are different birds and I like to know what im shooting Youll be telling me next, wood pigeons,feral pigeons and stock doves are all the same (pigeons) So by calling all the corvid family Crows,does that mean the Raven is on the GL after all the Raven is black and looks like a big Crow just like the Jackdaw looks like a small Crow BB (Clearly the Raven is a protected bird,im using it as an example) Edited July 18, 2015 by Bluebarrels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 Carrion crow is a crow. My dad had a saying 'A crow in a crowd is a rook and a rook on its own is a crow' , but i shoot many crows in crowds with rooks and many rooks on their own so i just call them all crows and list them as 'black' in my shoot record as opposed to grey for pigeons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 Well, I must be a Knowledgeable snob then, because when identifying birds I always refer to them by their actual name rather than family name. I would never, for example, refer to goldfinch or chaffinch as a finch anymore than a blackbird as a thrush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckandswing Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 Basically, before you pull the trigger you need to know what you're shooting. I would suggest that requires anyone to have a good knowledge of various birds including those on the general licence and otherwise. If you cannot identify the species then you cannot discern what you are shooting at. As someone has said before, you can shoot a crow but not a raven. Get it wrong and you might be in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 I expect its equal parts snobbery and knowledge, snobbery as there are many in the shooting fraternity who like to demonstrate their knowledge and opinions wherever possible (see the is it a weapon thread for further examples), and knowledge as yes they are crows but in the same vein as magpie, jay etc it's common for those in the know to be more specific ie a layman might see a fish whereas a fisherman would see a perch or pike etc? I cannot see where being a snob comes into being able to correctly identify your legal quarry , the difference between them is easy enough to identify . As someone has already mentioned , does the OP know the difference between a crow and a Raven , chances are if he does not know the difference between a crow and a jackdaw I would suggest he does not ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 I too must be a snob, the only similarity between a crow and a jackdaw is the colour. They belong to the corvid family, not the "crow" family. They are are all very different birds, crows are the devil incarnate, whilst rooks are (in most areas) minor agricultural pests. I would hope that any body shooting at them knows the difference, even in flight at shotgun ranges, and knows the reasons they are shooting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 Just looked it up, the rspb calling it the crow family is just a simplification for joe public, the family is actually corvidae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 A jackdaw is a jackdaw, a rook a rook and a crow a crow. SRSpower, your argument is semantic at best, pointless at worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew f Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 (edited) a raven is bigger and as hair covering its beak with a v shaped tail feathers pointed wing tips while crows have blunt wing tips Edited July 18, 2015 by andrew f Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 I control corvids on the farms that I shoot on and always refer to them by name ,rook ,crow ,jackdaw . Any how I like the jackdaw ,very iridescent and quite a cheeky little chap . I had one as a pet years ago ,guess what his name was ? Yes that's it , Jack . Harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshAndy Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 A jackdaw is a jackdaw, a rook a rook and a crow a crow. SRSpower, your argument is semantic at best, pointless at worst. Couldn't have put it better myself If you can't identify between them don't pull the trigger. My 11 year son knows the difference between a crow, rook and jackdaw - flight and call! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 Can't say I'd ever given it much thought really until this thread. But now I have I usually say what I've been shooting, such as Jackdaws, Rooks etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srspower Posted July 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 A jackdaw is a jackdaw, a rook a rook and a crow a crow. SRSpower, your argument is semantic at best, pointless at worst. I just said I had shot some crows, it's not me being bothered by semantics that's the whole point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 I just said I had shot some crows, it's not me being bothered by semantics that's the whole point! I thought you had actually shot some Jackdaws though, not Choughs, Rooks, Crows of Ravens but Jackdaws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshie Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 If you don't want to specify what species you are shooting, why not say you shot some birds? Anyway a jackdaw isn't a crow. It's part of the crow family. A crow is a crow AND part of the crow family, so technically if you say you shot crows, it would suggest crows, not other members of the crow family. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewluke Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 don't forget about the magpie,he is a corvid but not a crow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 This is a leg pull yes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmytree Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 This is a leg pull yes? That's what I thought. Very odd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 That's what I thought. Very odd! You are both wrong. The op is deadly serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmytree Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 You are both wrong. The op is deadly serious. If nothing else it shows the RSPCA to be in the wrong. Corvids is a correct term to use in my book. Crows are crows, each species has its own name, we should use it, otherwise we are just dumbing down correct English. It's surprising how many people are totally useless at bird recognition though, I even found a video on a well known "hunting" site where the expert explains they were shooting crows because they can attack lambs, they were shooting branchers in a rookery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebarrels Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) You are both wrong. The op is deadly serious. check out this video that made him raise this question ye ha BB http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/316567-crow-shooting-at-the-pig-farm/ Edited July 19, 2015 by Bluebarrels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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