Description:

Medium sized, relatively small-headed and short-legged crow. Adult has whitish skin around base of bill and throat. Juvenile has black feathering on face and throat, and lacks gloss to black plumage. Juvenile more closely resembles Carrion and Large-billed, and best told by thinner and more pointed bill.

Distribution:

Uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor to the lower valleys of central and southern Gilgit-Baltistan. Needs extensive areas of grassland or arable farmland for foraging. Open country, lowland riverine plains and woodland, below 2500m.

Behavior:

Feeds by probing and digging, walking and hopping between bouts of digging. Roosts in stands of large trees, flying quite high for considerable distances to roost. Omnivorous, but less of a carrion-feeder than are many other crows. Main food items include earthworms and grain; wide range of other small invertebrates. Grain and seeds taken mostly in autumn and winter.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Rook in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Rook

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.