Loads of rooks out and about today! Haven't seen any hooded crows for a while, though. I hope the rooks aren't displacing them.
I taught my partner how to identify a rook (as opposed to a carrion crow) and now they always call out the "little fluffy rook trousers".
Identifying a raven is dead easy. If you're looking at it and going "ooh, is that a crow or a raven", it's a crow. If instead you're going "christ that bird's fucking enormous" it's a raven.

this thread has been your annual reminder that I am a corvid person

(my favourite is still the Eurasian magpie, they're so clever and so hilariously disrespectful, plus magpie folklore is AWESOME)

okay before anyone else says anything: yes, it is difficult to tell the difference between a crow and a raven if you don't have any indicators as to relative size, then you have to start squinting at the tail shape

but in general if you see a raven up close you KNOW it's a raven because it is LARGE 😊

also please don't ask me to identify birds that aren't corvids, I can do the obvious ones but sometimes people think I know ALL birds and while I am a Bird Respecter I am mostly knowledgeable about UK corvids

@astronomerritt I only know how to tell a herring gull from a great black-backed gull:

It's a herring gull if it goes: "u got a problem m8?" and also if it eats your donut.

It's a great black-backed gull if the herring gulls go: "oh fuck sorry m8 didn't mean nuttin by it" and also if it eats your german shepherd.

@yngmar this gave me a proper giggle, thanks!