Ornithological idioms - Eating Crow

Following rave reviews of my note on Jynxed, by popular request I extend the series on ornithological idioms.

Eating Crow is an American version of the English idiom eating humble pie. It effectively means backing down, an indication of deference, submission or apology. The term presumably came from the fact that whilst the gentry indulged in eating game birds like pheasant, the more humble peasants resorted to eating crow.

But which species of crow is involved? Actually, in some circles, Rook Pie (a member of the crow family) is considered quite a delicacy and was popular in times of war and hardship (nowadays is is illegal to shoot rooks in Britain, so the pie has to be eaten under cover of darkness). In fact there are five species of "black" crows in Europe, so I had better review them.

This is the Hooded Crow Corvus cornix, found throughout northern and eastern Europe, often to be found scavenging in cities, like this one in Berlin.

This is not a crow but it proves I was in Berlin

The Carrion Crow Corvus corone is a close relative of the Hooded Crow but lacks the pale grey mantle and breast

The Rook Corvus frugilegus is about the same size as the Carrion Crow, has a whitish base to the bill, is more gregarious and is often found in flocks on farmland.

The Raven Corvus corax is the largest of the European black crows and lives in mountains

The Jackdaw Corvus monedula is the smallest of the European crows and is distinguished by its smaller size and pale grey nape and upper mantle. It lives around towns and nests in chimneys and holes in trees.

In addition to the "black" crows, there are other European members of the crow family, the best known being the Magpie. Others are the Jay (Europe), Siberian Jay (Lapland), Azure-winged Magpie (Spain), Chough and Alpine Chough.

Picture credits: The Carrion Crow in Berlin is mine; please click on the other pictures to locate the source.