Differences between Jackdaw and Stork

Jackdaw and Stork are two classes of birds that belong to the Corvidae and Ciconiidae families respectively.

Jackdaws are small, strong, intelligent, and curious birds that look like Crows. They are quick in picking up new skills. They are characterized by black beaks and black plumage that has a purplish tinge. The plumage of the male birds is likely to become grey as they age. The black legs are strong with four toes and long sharp talons. The eyes are black, while the irises are white. The birds are known for the shrill calls they make.

Stork is a large wading bird with long legs and long beak. Its beak and legs are usually red in color, while its eyes are grey. The color of its body could be streaks of white, black, and red depending on the geography. The bird’s head and upper neck are usually not covered with feathers. The Stork is almost mute as it has an undeveloped syrinx. The Stork family consists of about 20 species of birds such as Marabou Stork and Adjutant Stork. The family is related to Herons, Ibises, and Flamingos.

Where are Jackdaw and Stork found?

Jackdaws are highly adaptable birds. They can be found in forests, open fields, gardens, and cities. The birds exist in most parts of Europe besides north Africa, western Asia, and the Himalayas. Few of them were reported to have been spotted in North America in 1984. A species of Grackle is referred to as Jackdaw in the USA.

Storks choose to live near marshes, grasslands, meadows, rivers, ponds, and lakes. They are not prevalent across the world. They exist chiefly in Asia, Africa, and Europe. One bird from their species can be found in Australia, while three others occur around Argentina and Florida.

What do Jackdaw and Stork eat?

Jackdaws are omnivorous. They eat insects, worms, eggs, spiders, snails, small mammals, reptiles, berries, seeds, and fruits. The birds also eat carrion and waste from bins and landfills.

Storks are carnivores that mainly eat fish. They also feed on reptiles, insects, amphibians, mice, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and even small alligators. They generally capture their prey in fields and shallow waters.

Here are a few pointers about the eating patterns between Jackdaw and Stork

• Both Jackdaw and Stork eat Fish.
• Both Jackdaw and Stork eat Frogs.
• Both Jackdaw and Stork eat Lizards.
• Both Jackdaw and Stork eat Snakes.
• Both Jackdaw and Stork eat Turtles.
• Both Jackdaw and Stork eat Squirrels.
• Gophers are commonly eaten by Jackdaw, but not by all Stork.
• Baby Ducks are consumed by both Jackdawand Stork.
• Mice are eaten by both Jackdaw and Stork.

Size of Jackdaw and Stork?

When it comes to size, Jackdaws are 1.11-1.27 feet long. They have a wingspan of 2.3 feet.. Storks are huge birds. They are about two to five feet tall with wide wings that measure over 10 feet. The biggest storks in the world are the Shoebill and Marabou that stand five feet tall.

Jackdaws are not heavy although they are sturdy. They weigh about 8.8 ounces. while Average weight of Storks is 3-17 pounds depending on the species. Marabou is the largest species and weighs around 17 pounds.

Where do Jackdaw and Stork nest?

Jackdaws are not fussy about their nests. They construct them with sticks and twigs and cover them with moss, hair, or dung. They build the nests in holes and cavities of trees, chimneys, buildings, and rooftops. They may also use nests built by other birds. The eggs are bluish green in color with brown spots. The female incubates them for about 18 days. After hatching, the chicks are dependent on the parents for food. The male and female share the responsibility of feeding them. The chicks fledge when they are 28-35 days old but continue to be reliant on the parents for food for another four weeks. The eggs in the brood hatch asynchronously. When the last egg hatches, the earlier hatched chicks are probably old enough to fledge. Therefore, the parents may abandon the new-borns speculating that they may not survive.

Storks build their nests on trees and shrubs that stand in flooded water. They do so to keep predators away from eating the eggs. Both male and female birds participate in the construction of the nest, besides sharing the responsibility to incubate them for about five weeks, after which the eggs hatch. Baby Storks usually fledge 50-65 days after hatching. An interesting fact about parenting in Storks is that the parents sometimes throw some chicks out of the nests so that they can feed the healthy chicks well and support their survival.

How long do Jackdaw and Stork live?

The average lifespan of Jackdaws is five years. The Western Jackdaw or Eurasian Jackdaw found in Europe, parts of Africa, central Asia, and Himalayas is known to live up to 20 years.

Storks can live for over 30 years in the wild. They have been known to live up to 35 years in captivity. The longest living species was a White Stork that lived for 39 years in Switzerland.

Are Jackdaw or Stork migratory birds?

Not all Jackdaws are migratory. The ones in the UK are mostly residents or may travel a few miles during winter. Western Jackdaws from northern Europe may move south. The Jackdaws living in northern Africa are also mostly residents. The ones from Russia may travel to north-west Europe.

Storks migrate during winters to warmer regions as they cannot find food in colder weather. They are known to migrate long distances, for instance from Europe to Africa, sub-Saharan region to South Africa or India. They mostly migrate in huge groups.

Do Jackdaw and Stork fly in flocks?

Clattering or train refers to a group of Jackdaws. They are extremely gregarious and follow a hierarchy in their colonies. Jackdaws spend most of their time with their community. They forage, roost, and move around in groups. Research shows that the birds communicate efficiently through their eyes and also engage in sophisticated communication. They are capable of warning each other about predators or human attacks. They can remember human faces, perform tricks, and steal things. The birds also share their food and objects, a trait that is unusual in birds.

A group of Storks is known as a muster of Storks or a phalanx of Storks. These birds are highly sociable. They stay together and migrate in massive flocks that can even encompass a thousand birds. However, during the breeding season they prefer smaller groups or solitude.

Are Jackdaw or Stork protected?

Jackdaws are protected under the law in countries like the UK, France, Italy, Austria, and USA. However, they can be killed with a licence. Jackdaws are considered as pests as they cause harm to livestock and crops.

Storks are a protected species in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Conservation laws like the African Conservation Action Plan and the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement have come up in response to concerns of the International Union for Conservation of Nature that the Black Storks are not protected satisfactorily.

Are Jackdaw or Stork endangered?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Jackdaws as species of least concern. There was a reduction in their population in the UK during 1970s, but the numbers have recovered in the 21st century. Jackdaws presently flourish in all habitats they live in.

Storks are extant birds. They had become extinct in the UK about 500 years back but emerged back in the 1970s. They have however become extinct in Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The Adjutant Stork is endangered in India and Cambodia, and the Painted Stork is critically endangered in parts of Asia. Very few Storks are also left in Italy due to widespread poaching.

Can Jackdaw and Stork fly?

Jackdaws fly with their wings spread out and legs folded. They have multiple vortices on their wings, so they flap their wings while take off and drift thereafter. The birds are capable of flying at a speed of 20-25 miles per hour.

Storks fly with their neck and legs stretched out. They flap and soar with their broad wings, using thermal air currents. They can reach altitudes of 1,500 metres above sea level and touch speeds of over 110 miles per hour. During migration, they fly nearly 4,400 miles.

Can Jackdaw and Stork swim?

The body of Jackdaws is not suited for swimming. They have clawed feet with toes. Therefore, Jackdaws cannot swim. They enter waterbodies to drink water and to bathe.

Storks are not swimmers. They do not prefer deep waters and usually choose shallow waters for their habitat.

Mating patterns among Jackdaw and Stork

Young Jackdaws may select their pairs in the autumn of their first year. However, they breed only when they are close to two years. The birds follow social hierarchy while choosing their pairs. The female may choose a partner of higher ranking to upgrade her rank. During courtship, the female may beseech the male to get her food. The partners engage in preening the feathers on each other’s neck and head. The partners also perform aerial dances. They mostly live in pairs at their nesting sites during the breeding season. The female lays about six eggs in a season. She takes the duties of incubating them, while her male partner helps her in feeding and defending the young ones.

Storks start breeding when they are about four years old. The male bird is the first one to arrive at the nesting site. He initiates by building a nest or revamping an existing one and ducking on it. The male and female engage in elaborate mating dances. They raise a single brood each year, which consists of two to five eggs.

When is the mating season for Jackdaw and Stork ?

The mating season for Jackdaws occurs during April-June. They raise a single brood every season.

The breeding season for Storks is generally the spring. This is usually from the start of February till the end of April.

Do Jackdaw and Stork mate for life?

Jackdaws are usually monogamous. The bonding between partners is for life. However, in some cases partners do not exclusively mate with each other. They may engage with other birds and have offspring from them.

Storks are known to be monogamous and faithful to their partners during every breeding season and even for a few years. They may find new partners during migrations or in consecutive breeding seasons. In case of monogamous partners, they generally revisit their nesting site and use the same nests with little restoration.

How do Jackdaw and Stork sleep?

Jackdaws roost in flocks. The birds are tightly packed on trees during the night. They are known to do some jabbering before calming down for rest. Further, they give out alarm calls when there is any danger during the night.

Storks roost in colonies. They sleep on trees and shrubs surrounded by water. Some storks even sleep standing on one leg in water.

Can Jackdaw and Stork be eaten?

People may have eaten Jackdaws out of desperation in the past. They are not commonly eaten as a delicacy now. It is not advisable to eat them as they are scavenging birds whose meat could be infected.

Storks are edible and some people do eat them. However, the bird is protected, and it is illegal to kill them for food.

Can you hunt Jackdaw or Stork?

Jackdaws are largely hunted by farmers for destroying their crops and livestock. Even in countries where they are protected, licence is given to kill Jackdaws that are destructive.

Thousands of White Storks lose their lives every year due to illegal hunting for sport, especially in Lebanon and Italy. The birds are also shot for their meat. All this is despite existence of laws to protect the bird.

Can you feed Jackdaw or Stork?

Feeding birds in public is not allowed in countries like the USA. In captivity, Jackdaws are given seeds, berries, eggs, and mice.

Feeding wild animals and birds in public places is not permitted in places like USA, Singapore, and Dubai. Storks are huge birds and need to be fed a lot of food. In captivity, these birds are fed with fish, frogs, small birds, earthworms, lizards, and meat.