Their adaptable lifestyle and the variety of food they eat means that they can be found in many habitats, from woodlands and farmlands to city back-gardens and rubbish dumps. Jackdaws are also found along the coast, feeding on the shoreline and nesting on seacliffs. They also eat fruit, berries, cereal and scraps and, particularly in winter, will scavenge on rubbish dumps. Along the coast, these birds will seek out insects on seaweed, while on farmland they will find flies attracted to cow pats or disturbed by grazing animals. When feeding alongside rooks, the different feeding techniques used by both species are very apparent.
Rooks tend to use their thin, pointed bill to dig food up.
The bill of the jackdaw is thicker and not suitable for digging and so they tend to concentrate on looking for food on the surface. Much like oxpeckers on the backs of African buffalo, jackdaws will often land on cows and sheep in search of ticks. They are tolerated, almost welcomed by the livestock. Jackdaws sometimes hide food, but not as frequently as do other crow species such as jays. Behaviour Jackdaws are a naturally gregarious species and tend to live in loose groups of up to 40 birds.