It tolerates a wide variety of habitats but requires nesting holes which would originally have been in trees but are now found in rock ledges and buildings. A further requirement is that there are lots of available nesting sites in one place because the Jackdaw is very gregarious.

It is dark grey rather than black with a lighter grey on the nape and the sides of the head. The eye is white and the bill is more slender than most other members of the crow family