jackdaw

noun

jack·​daw ˈjak-ˌdȯ How to pronounce jackdaw (audio)
1
: either of two common black and gray birds (Corvus monedula or C. dauuricus) of Eurasia and northern Africa that are related to but smaller than the carrion crow
2

Examples of jackdaw in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In living color To find out if corvids process stimuli using short-term memory with attractor dynamics, the researchers subjected two jackdaws to a variety of tests that involved remembering colors. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2023 The jackdaws had to look at that chart and peck the color they had previously been shown. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2023 To get enticing mealworms in an experiment, wild jackdaws quickly learned to shift their companions to receive the tasty snack. Tara Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2023 Playing the sound of jackdaws reaching a consensus to leave their roosts makes other jackdaws leave their roosts, on average, six minutes faster. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Aug. 2022 Take the jackdaw as an example. Tree Meinch, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2020 In reality, the narrative was more ordinary and the jackdaw was pinching hair from the deer’s back to use in nest building. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 4 Apr. 2021 This Eurasian jackdaw on top of a fallow deer seem to be part of some childhood fairytale, with the bird whispering a secret to the deer. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 4 Apr. 2021 In these groups, regardless of size, each jackdaw adjusted its trajectory based on a fixed number of neighbors and always maintained order. Harini Barath, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of jackdaw was in 1543

Dictionary Entries Near jackdaw

Cite this Entry

“Jackdaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jackdaw. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

jackdaw

noun
jack·​daw -ˌdȯ How to pronounce jackdaw (audio)
: a common black and gray Eurasian bird related to but smaller than the crows

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