# Rook

*Corvus frugilegus*

Rooks are remarkably intelligent and have demonstrated the ability to use and even manufacture simple tools in captivity, similar to chimpanzees.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Corvidae › Corvus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Open agricultural land, pastures, and parklands with nearby stands of tall trees for nesting.
- **Diet:** Omnivorous; primarily earthworms, soil invertebrates, grain, and seeds.
- **Range:** Europe, Western Asia, New Zealand (introduced)
- **Size:** 44-46 cm in length with a wingspan of 81-99 cm.
- **Lifespan:** Approximately 6 years on average, though some individuals reach over 20 years.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Pesticide use reducing prey availability, removal of nesting trees, and changes in land management.
- **Safe to approach?:** Rooks are generally harmless to humans but wary. Maintain a distance of 10 meters from nesting colonies (rookeries) to prevent stress. If you find a grounded chick, leave it be unless it is visibly injured. If pecked or scratched, wash the area with soap and water.

## About

The rook ( Corvus frugilegus ) is a member of the family Corvidae in the passerine order of birds. It was given its binomial name by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, The binomial is from Latin; Corvus is for "raven", and frugilegus is Latin for "fruit-gathering", from frux, frugis , "fruit", and legere , "to pick". The English name is ultimately derived from the bird's harsh call.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f3544389-639b-4233-82db-f273dbf27766
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/8029
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvus frugilegus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/62108561/medium.jpg (hedera.baltica, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.