What they like

Open spots with short turf, arable fields, meadows, village edges. And tall trees or buildings to nest in. Give it a helping hand: leave a corner of the lawn a bit sparser and short (not neatly mown to a perfect trim), so it can easily peck out worms and leatherjackets. In parks or yards: leave old trees standing. In agricultural areas: keep field margins open and herb-rich, with strips full of oxeye daisy, clover and dandelion.

Ecological importance

Jackdaws clean up. They eat insect larvae, beetles, slugs and also carcasses and food scraps. In doing so they reduce pest pressure and keep the land "tidy". They themselves are on the menu of the goshawk and the eagle-owl. That way the food chain is rounded off again.

When in the Netherlands

All year round. In winter often in larger flocks, sometimes with rooks and crows.

Status

Common. Locally under pressure due to a lack of nesting sites and boarded-up buildings. Leave some gaps where sensible, or hang a roomy nest box on a barn or tree.