Crows and rooks

The five common corvids (crow family) birds are magpies, jackdaws, jays, crows and rooks.  Crows and rooks are the two that I find hardest to distinguish.

Rooks nest in rookeries with a dozen or more nests close together in neighbouring trees.  They make a continuous noise as they gossip to each other.

Crows are more solitary and when they caw they usually do three in a row rather than wittering on like a rook.  

If you get close you may see that the rook has a whitish face while the grow is unremittingly black.

Also the rooks bill is fairly straight while the crows bill is curved on top.

Their big cousin the raven has a heavier, even more curved bill but is much bigger and calls with a deep 'kronk'.