Mr Magpie and his family !

Probably the best known member of the crow family. The Magpie is often overlooked by many.
If the Magpie was less common or a rare visitor from distant lands could you imagine the fuss that would be made about its beautiful plumage, the striking markings and the iridescent green shimmer upon its darker parts ?
Often seen scrounging from rubbish or bullying  smaller birds away from the bird tables we easily forget what a stunning bird the Magpie really is.
The Crow family also known as Corvids has 7 common members in the UK.
The largest being the Raven, often used in horror films and the guardian of the tower of London. Plumage is completely black and it has a heavy bill. It is about 20% larger than the Carrion Crow.
Its call is deep croaky and it calls in flight. Very agile for a large bird.
The Carrion Crow is also completely black and seen everywhere.
Probably the most common bird seen of this family.
The Hooded Crow is the same size as the Carrion Crow but has a grey body with black wings, head and bib. It is confined to northern Scotland and Ireland.

The Rook is similar in size to the Hooded and Carrion Crow but has a bare grayish skin area at the base of its bill. Roosts in numbers in Rookeries high in tall trees. Often seen on farmland and fields searching for earthworms.

The Jackdaw is about 20% smaller than the Carrion and Hooded crow. The plumage is black all over but the hood is grey ( not very visible in this photo).
Eye colour is watery grey, it's bill and legs are shorter than Carrion Crow. Often seen feeding on farmland, sea coasts will scrounge through rubbish.

The Chough is slightly larger than the Jackdaw. It has a distinct red slightly down curved bill and bright red legs. Confined to the rocky western coasts of Ireland, Wales and south west Scotland. It is also a very agile flier. Feeds on short grasslands often probes, digs and turns over stones.

The Jay. The most colourful of the Crow-Corvid family.Similar size to the Jackdaw.Has a small pale streaked crest that can be raised.  Buff-Pinkish body. It has a bright blue patch and a white patch on the wing. Tail is black but the rump is white and very obvious in flight. A mainly woodland bird seen in parks, copses also cemeteries where there are mature trees.