Rook

Scientific name: Corvus frugilegus

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Rooks are large black corvids with a distinctive bare whitish-grey face patch and bill base, particularly visible at close range. They are slightly smaller and more slender than carrion crows, with a peaked crown and glossy plumage.

Size and weight

Adults typically weigh 370–550 g, with body length 41–46 cm; sexes similar in size, though males average slightly heavier.

Habitat

Rooks inhabit open and semi-open landscapes including farmland, grassland, parkland, and woodland edges across temperate regions. They favour areas with scattered trees for roosting and nesting, typically at low to moderate elevations.

Distribution

Rooks are found across temperate Europe and Asia from the British Isles to Japan, with populations highest in lowland agricultural regions and open country; range contracts northward and eastward in winter.

Diet

Rooks are omnivorous ground-feeders taking cereal grains, invertebrates (especially earthworms and beetle larvae), and small vertebrates; diet shifts seasonally toward more plant matter in autumn and winter.

Behaviour

Highly social birds, most active during daylight hours, often foraging in loose flocks on open ground. They roost communally in large numbers, typically in tall trees, and show strong site fidelity to traditional roost and nesting areas.

Hunting tips

Look for sign on open ground: scattered droppings, scratch marks in soil, and trampled vegetation in favourite feeding areas. Approach from downwind across open terrain during active feeding periods (early morning and late afternoon) using available cover; rooks are wary and flush readily, so a stealthy, deliberate stalk is essential.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 6 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.