While the sight of delightful birds and the sound of birdsong are welcome additions to most gardens, not every homeowner wants every avian friend flocking to their backyard.

Jackdaws and rooks are sometimes thought of as a nuisance as they can dominate bird feeders, pushing out smaller, shyer, birds and competing for the food you leave out. Both jackdaws and rooks will scavenge for scraps left by humans. They tend to scavenge and disrupt other bird populations, especially smaller birds, and can nest in spots you would rather they did not.

Of the Corvidae family of birds that also contains the crows, ravens, magpies, jays, treepies, choughs, and nutcrackers, both jackdaws and rooks can compete for nesting sites, be noisy and even damage property. Jackdaws are known for nesting in chimneys and roofs which can cause blockages and damage, and may nest in gutters and eaves, raising the risk of water damage and structural issues. Rooks are known to damage crops and both species will steal eggs and nestlings from other birds.

Garden bird feeding expert Lucy Taylor of Vine House Farm Bird Foods has explained what can be done, as well as a possible compromise.

Lucy said: “Despite their relatively large size and the fact they’re both naturally ground feeders in the crow family, Jackdaws and Rooks have increasingly adapted to precariously cling to hanging bird feeders containing seed, peanuts or suet products. Along with quickly depleting the amount of food in the feeders, these larger birds will generally deter small songbirds from feeding. But there are several things you can do to prevent this.”

Lucy advises investing in a squirrel-proof bird feeder, as they are also mainly jackdaw and rook proof.

She said:  “There are two basic designs of feeder which are aimed at keeping grey squirrels out, but actually generally work just as well for larger birds. The first has a simple cage around the feeder, with the gaps being large enough for small songbirds but will be far too small for the likes of a Jackdaw. 

“The second type of feeder works on a spring-loaded mechanism, with the ports of the feeder closing with the weight of a larger bird landing on one of the perches. Both these basic types of feeder are available for seed and other types of food.”

Another trick she advises could work, is to look at a ground cage to allow small birds to access food but block the larger corvidae.

Lucy adds: “For ground feeding and including where food is placed directly on a surface like a patio or short grass, a simple ground cage can be placed over the food. Again, this allows small birds in and keeps larger birds out – including wood pigeons which anyway can’t land on hanging feeders. The same would broadly apply to magpies, though they will sometimes try to use hanging feeders as well.”

But do not throw out the normal bird feeders, as there is a possible route to compromise, the expert advises.

“Retain at least some normal feeders,” Lucy advises. “The reason I wouldn’t advocate only using the above types of feeders, is that along with allowing Jackdaws and Rooks at least some access to food, having at least one or two normal bird feeders as well also means that species like Great spotted wood peckers aren’t excluded. So my overall message is one of compromise rather than complete exclusion, as all garden birds need our help, and regardless of size and species.”