Rook

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Rook, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Amber listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Vulnerable
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WBD(II*)

Relatively few rookeries fell within CBC plots, but an index calculated from the available CBC nest counts showed a shallow, long-term increase (Wilson et al. 1998). Increase to the mid 1990s was confirmed by the results of the most recent BTO rookeries survey, which identified a 40% increase in abundance between 1975 and 1996 (Marchant & Gregory 1999). This increase probably reflected the species' considerable adaptability in the face of agricultural change. BBS indices, which are drawn from sightings during transect walks and not from BBS's nest counts, suggest that a notable decrease has occurred subsequently, affecting all countries within the UK, particularly Wales and Scotland. The BBS map of change in relative density between 1994-96 and 2007-09 indicates that there had been increases during that period in Northern Ireland and in lowland regions of England and Wales but decreases in many upland areas and in eastern coastal areas of Scotland. There has been little change in breeding productivity since the 1960s but a decrease in brood size is now becoming evident. There has been an increase across Europe since 1980 (PECBMS: PECBMS 2020a>).

UK breeding population

-23% decrease (1995–2022)

Rooks maintain a nearly ubiquitous distribution across much of Britain & Ireland. Though they are absent from larger conurbations, such as London, the lowland distribution of Rooks includes virtually every 10-km square with major gaps confined to higher ground in Scotland, parts of northern England, Wales and the rugged far northwest of Ireland. Rooks favour open, lowland countryside, being less abundant through the wooded Wealden counties of England, for example, than in the arable east of Britain or the eastern and southern counties of Ireland. In general, Rooks are more abundant in Ireland than in Britain.

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Occupied 10-km squares in UK

No. occupied in breeding season	2319
% occupied in breeding season	77
No. occupied in winter	2451
% occupied in winter	81

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Breeding Season Habitats

Most frequent in

Pasture Farmland, Villages

Relative frequency by habitat

Relative occurrence in different habitat types during the breeding season.

There have been only relatively small changes in the distribution of Rooks over the last 40 years. Since the 1968–72 Breeding Atlas some losses have occurred in and around the fringes of the species’ northerly range, in the Scottish Highlands, and also in northwest Ireland.

Rook is recorded throughout the year on up to 30% of complete lists.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing	22 years 11 months 0 days (set in 2005)
Typical Lifespan	6 years with breeding typically at 2 year
Adult Survival	0.79
Juvenile Survival	0.25 (in first year)

Wing Length	Adults	311.2±12.9 | Range 290–331mm, N=596
	Juveniles	297.6±12 | Range 280-317mm, N=42
	Males	321.3±10.7 | Range 306–340mm, N=153
	Females	303.3±10.3 | Range 290–321mm, N=122

Body Weight	Adults	452±53.3 | Range 370–527g, N=442
	Males	485±43.7 | Range 425–550g, N=113
	Females	425±44.5 | Range 360–514g, N=90

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	E or F (pulli F)
Field Codes	2-letter: RO | 5-letter code: ROOK. | Euring: 15630

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

There is little good evidence available regarding the drivers of the breeding population increase in this species in the UK.

Further information on causes of change

No further information is available.

Information about conservation actions

Although it is believed that numbers increased during the late twentieth century, the drivers of the subsequent decline in the current century are unknown and further research is needed before evidence-based conservation actions can be proposed to reverse the recent declines.

In the meantime and until further research confirms the drivers of the population changes, actions to restore or create species-rich grassland and to provide other foraging habitats may benefit rooks. As a colonial nesting species, it could also be vulnerable to exploitation of rookeries by humans and predators, and therefore actions and policies to protect breeding sites may also be prudent.