A jackdaw is a large black and grey bird that is similar to a crow, and lives in Europe and Asia. a black bird like a crow that sometimes steals small, bright objects (Jack male name + daw (15-19 centuries) (perhaps from an unrecorded dawe)). or daw Crowlike black bird (Corvus monedula) with gray nape and pearly eyes. About 13 in. (33 cm) long, jackdaws breed in colonies in treeholes and on cliffs and tall buildings; their flocks fly in formation around the site. Their cry sounds like their name: "chak." The species ranges from the British Isles to central Asia. See also crow, grackle