jackdaw

American  

[jak-daw] / ˈdʒækˌdɔ /

noun

1. a glossy, black, European bird, Corvus monedula, of the crow family, that nests in towers, ruins, etc.

2. boat-tailed grackle.

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jackdaw British  

/ ˈdʒækˌdɔː /

noun

1. a large common Eurasian passerine bird, Corvus monedula , in which the plumage is black and dark grey: noted for its thieving habits: family Corvidae (crows)

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Etymology

Origin of jackdaw

First recorded in 1535–45; jack ¹ + daw

Example Sentences

Thousands of jackdaws can suddenly take to the morning skies in winter, creating a whirling black cloud of creatures.

From BBC

Like many poets before him, he had a keen sense of how memory could repose in objects, whether “dungy sticks / In a jackdaw’s nest” or “a marble bust commanding the parterre.”

From New York Times

The Victorian dovecote in the eaves of the coach house may even remain home to the family of jackdaws now living there.

From New York Times

Mr. Weston cut grass on a tractor and helped to patrol the estate, evicting jackdaws that had nested in the main house’s chimneys and checking for fire safety and general security.

From New York Times

Her bedroom menagerie included an orphaned crow, a badger cub, a wounded jackdaw and a whole nest of baby bullfinches.

From New York Times