Jackdaw or Starling?
These two get mixed up constantly. Here is what actually separates them, taken from each bird's own page.
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedula
Starlings flock on roofs and lawns too, but they are far smaller, glossy and spangled with pale spots, short-tailed and pointed-billed, and walk with a rapid waddle. A jackdaw is more than three times the bulk.
Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Side by side
| Jackdaw | Starling | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | About 34cm — clearly smaller than a carrion crow or rook, roughly woodpigeon-sized but slimmer. | Blackbird-sized at about 21cm, but shorter-tailed and more upright |
| Where you'll see it | On chimneys, roof ridges and lawns, and dropping in on feeders and scraps. | Probing a short lawn, on rooftops and aerials, mobbing the fat feeder |
| What it eats | Omnivorous — insects, worms, seeds, grain, fruit, eggs, scraps and whatever a lawn or bin yields. | Leatherjackets and other soil grubs; fruit, suet and seed the rest of the year |
| When | Resident all year, most conspicuous in late winter when pairs start prospecting chimneys. | Resident, all year, with continental birds swelling numbers in winter |
| Status | Green listed | Red listed |
Still not sure? Describe what you saw and we will rank every garden bird against it — including these two.
Both descriptions are taken from the species pages, which cite the BTO and RSPB. Reviewed 2026-09-20.