What Is a Group of Jackdaws Called?
Small, sharp-eyed, and endlessly social, jackdaws have picked up a small collection of names for their noisy gatherings.
A group of jackdaws is most often called a train, with clattering and band used as alternates. Jackdaws (Coloeus monedula) are the smallest member of the crow family found across Europe and western Asia, instantly recognizable by their pale, piercing eyes and their habit of following one another in long, strung-out lines to and from the roost.
Quick Facts
| Animal | Jackdaws |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Coloeus monedula |
| Category | Birds |
Deck of Nouns
On This Page
What Is a Group of Jackdaws Called?
Train is the name most associated with jackdaws, describing the long, straggling lines they form as they stream toward a communal roost at dusk, one bird after another like railcars behind an engine. Clattering captures the same birds from a different angle, evoking the sharp, chattering “tchack” calls a flock makes as it wheels overhead or squabbles at a feeding site. Band is the plainest of the three, a general term for a jackdaw flock that some references treat as the most common of all.
Where Did the Name Come From?
Jackdaws have long been common, familiar birds around European villages, farms, and church towers, and their collective nouns reflect close, everyday observation rather than obscure medieval symbolism. Train almost certainly predates railways, originally referring to any trailing procession, and was simply repurposed by birdwatchers once locomotives made the image even more vivid. Clattering is purely onomatophoric, borrowed straight from the harsh, chattering racket a flock makes, while band reflects nothing more than the tight, cooperative flocks in which jackdaws are almost always seen.
Jackdaw Facts
- Striking pale eyes: Adult jackdaws have a pale, silvery-white iris that stands out sharply against their otherwise black plumage. Juveniles start with blue-gray eyes that darken to brown, then lighten to white by their first full winter.
- They know your face: Jackdaws can recognize and remember individual human faces, one of only a handful of animal species with confirmed face-recognition abilities, and studies show they can even follow a human’s gaze or pointing finger to find hidden food.
- Mates for life: Jackdaws form strong, monogamous pair bonds that typically last a lifetime, staying paired even through breeding seasons when their nest fails.
- Massive shared roosts: Come evening, jackdaws often join forces with rooks, sometimes forming mixed roosts of tens of thousands of birds that swirl over the roost site in dense, wheeling flocks before dropping down to settle for the night.
- Tucked into tight spaces: Unlike many other crows, jackdaws nest in cavities: tree holes, cliff crevices, and, historically, church steeples and chimneys, which helped cement their old reputation as birds tied to human settlements.
Example Sentences
- A clattering of jackdaws burst from the old church tower at dusk, filling the sky with chattering calls.
- We watched a train of jackdaws stream past in a ragged line, each bird trailing the one ahead toward the roost.
Other Names for a Group of Jackdaws
Train and clattering are the two terms most commonly cited for jackdaws today, each capturing a different, equally familiar sight: the strung-out procession of a flock in flight, and the sharp, constant chatter of a flock at rest or feeding. Band appears in some references as the more generic, catch-all term for a jackdaw flock, without evoking either the sound or the shape of the group the way the other two do.
🧠 Test Your Jackdaw Knowledge
Three quick questions. See what stuck.
1. What’s the most common term for a group of jackdaws?
2. What makes an adult jackdaw’s eyes so distinctive?
3. What unusual ability have studies confirmed in jackdaws?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a group of jackdaws called?
Most often a train, describing the long trailing lines jackdaws form in flight, with clattering and band used as alternates.
Why are jackdaws called a “clattering”?
The name comes directly from the sharp, chattering “tchack” calls a flock of jackdaws makes while flying together or squabbling at a feeding site.
Can jackdaws really recognize human faces?
Yes. Jackdaws are among a small number of animal species confirmed to recognize and remember individual human faces, and they can also follow human gaze and pointing gestures.
Do jackdaws mate for life?
Yes, jackdaws form strong monogamous pair bonds that typically last a lifetime, remaining paired even after an unsuccessful breeding season.
Where do jackdaws nest?
Jackdaws are cavity nesters, using tree holes, cliff crevices, and historically church towers and chimneys, unlike many other crow-family birds that build open nests.
Do jackdaws flock with other birds?
Yes, jackdaws frequently roost together with rooks, sometimes forming mixed evening roosts of tens of thousands of birds.
Small Bird, Big Personality…
A train of jackdaws streaming home at dusk, chattering the whole way, is one of the more endearing sights in the corvid world, proof that a bird can be this small and still be one of the sharpest, most socially devoted animals in the sky.