Please help identify bird in Palestine (Middle East) (1 Viewer)

[Dumpling]

Screenshot from wobbly video taken on my phone of neighbours' balcony in building opposite 12 May 2021.

They made no sound that I could hear. I'm afraid I don't know the first thing about birds so in terms of size all I can say is smaller than a crow?!

One is larger than the other, I'm assuming male and female couple. The white 'lace' on top caught my eye!

Browsed through pics and tried a couple of apps but no joy. Any help welcome.

 

[Butty]

Jackdaws, I guess - though I'd rather see the video. Can you post that?

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Welcome to BirdForum. Your birds seem to be Jackdaws.

 

[dave598]

Welcome

 

[Sayib Khaliq]

Eurasian Jackdaws, as mentioned by others.

 

[Dumpling]

Jackdaws, I guess - though I'd rather see the video. Can you post that?

Thank you so much for the quick replies everyone!

Here is the clip.. Awful quality, from seventh floor window.View attachment 4_5848001863638583548.mp4

 

[Butty]

Yes. Odd-looking plumage for some reason, but that seems to be what they are.

 

[Sayib Khaliq]

Yes. Odd-looking plumage for some reason, but that seems to be what they are.

Yes , maybe it is explained by its subspecie I.e C. m.cirtensis( Algerian jackdaw) , which has, as I have just found out, a duller plumage and less distinct nape than other subspecies.
edit : I am not sure exactly if that is the subspecie expected there though.
Edit 2 : Looking about a bit , and it appears that C.m. soemmerringii should be the expected subspecie there.

 

[Dumpling]

Yes , maybe it is explained by its subspecie I.e C. m.cirtensis( Algerian jackdaw) , which has, as I have just found out, a duller plumage and less distinct nape than other subspecies.

So very interesting! I know nothing about them so I'm doing a bit reading and I did notice these lovelies have brownish chest colouring unlike the few pics I've seen so far. My mum suspects they're nesting in a plastic laundry basket so when I'm next there I'll be spying on the neighbours again 😂

 

[Sayib Khaliq]

So very interesting! I know nothing about them so I'm doing a bit reading and I did notice these lovelies have brownish chest colouring unlike the few pics I've seen so far. My mum suspects they're nesting in a plastic laundry basket so when I'm next there I'll be spying on the neighbours again 😂

Haha, the jackdaw is certainly one of my favorite birds( Hint : my profile pic☺️). Their pleasant calls and "sophisticated" gait is very amusing to observe.

 

[MJB]

Yes , maybe it is explained by its subspecie I.e C. m.cirtensis( Algerian jackdaw) , which has, as I have just found out, a duller plumage and less distinct nape than other subspecies.
edit : I am not sure exactly if that is the subspecie expected there though.

Palestine is probably in the area where spermologus of NW Africa meets soemmerringii of SE Europe & Turkey...
MJB

 

[Sayib Khaliq]

Palestine is probably in the area where spermologus of NW Africa meets soemmerringii of SE Europe & Turkey...
MJB

That is interesting.Thanks a lot for the help MJB.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
welcome to birdforum from me, too!
After looking just at the picture yesterday, I struggled to identify the right bird with confidence. Angle of viewing and what appears to be rubby, shaggy plumage made this a difficult picture/bird, at least for me.
And the video doesnt changed this feeling. Yes, the video seems to show, that the bird has a pale eye. If this is indeed so, it has to be a Jackdwa

Reasons:

• it seems a clearly larger bird than the Jackdaw. Yes Jackdaws spread their head-plumage during various social interactions, resulting in similar looking large-headed Jackdaws, but gut feeling says: this is not the (only) explanation for the larger size
• bill-shape, although difficult to judge, seems strange
• really black front just above the bill. Yes, eastern birds have a clearly paler grey head with more contrast to the black front area (and the black area is smaller, too? I would like to get comments, if this statement is right or wrong), but this bird still seems to show an unusual (but not out of variation) head-pattern for a Jackdaw. Yes, the paler, nearly whitish area bordering the black face-mask is present in some Jackdaws too, as is extensive pale "eastern-Jackdaw-collar". A similar Jackdaw regarding head-pattern is here: https://www.bird-lens.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Dohle_DSC01888.jpg (winter 2014/15, Schwedt, NE-Germany)

As the strange feeling hasnt gone, I googled for Jackdaw x House Crow hybrids and hoping for others to jump in. But yes, I think Butty might be right, that its an ill Jackdaw with ruffled plumage. But ...

Regarding subspecies identification from an western European point of view, I have written something here. Halsbanddohlen in Ostdeutschland – Bird Lens Its in german, but I hope usefull for foreign readers in the times of googletranslate