jackdaw

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small black-and-gray Eurasian corvid related to crows and often nesting in buildings, cliffs, or trees

   A jackdaw nested in the old church tower above the village.

From jack + daw. Daw is an old Germanic name for the bird; jack may echo its chattering call or reflect the familiar personal name Jack. The compound has been used since the sixteenth century.

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