The Rook

People pay attention to Rooks because they are harmful to the farmers' crops. The Rook is probably one of the least liked birds throughout the world. The open rolling landscape seems to entice birds like the magpies, and Rooks to make these areas their home territory.

The immigrants to New Zealand from Great Britain received a reminder of home by the introduction of the Rook. They also introduced the Rook into New Zealand to help check the harmful insects. British people brought the Rook to New Zealand between 1862 and 1874. Birders regularly observe the birds in parts of the Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, southern Wairarapa and Canterbury.

The Rooks belong to the family of birds that includes crows and jays and are among the smarter birds. Their original home range is Europe and Asia, Eastern Siberia and Mongolia. Many fly south in the winter and congregate around the Mediterranean and many Rooks migrate to Iran and India.

The Rook is an entirely black bird, about the size of a magpie that stand about 16 to 18 inches tall as an adult and flaps their wings slowly when flying. Their feathers shine with a purplish blue gloss.

The Rook is a rasping voiced bird that emits a sorrowful, lamenting low pitched cry.

Rooks are sociable. Rooks feed together, breed in the same general areas and roost together. In The United Kingdom the Rook can find trees to nest on Shetland and on Lewis in the Western Isles. With nearly one million pairs in Britain they are one of the most familiar and widespread birds. Rooks prefer areas with tall trees and farm crops nearby, particularly cereals.

In late August, the nest building occurs in the tops of very tall trees like poplars and pines. The nests are big and messy and made of small branches, leaves and mud. The birds line the nest with grass or hair. Many nests may be within a few yards of each other and rookeries may hold hundred of nests. Full-grown Rooks live in large groups from September when the females lay their eggs until the middle of December when the young birds begin flying.

Rooks often pick up shiny items and birders find these items in the nest or their food cache.

In Scotland, the most common tree used for their nesting, holds about one half of all nests. The location of many nests are in Scots pine. It is more difficult to spot the nests in pine trees than in the broad leaf trees like ash, beech, elm, oak and sycamore.

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