'Horrible' jackdaw called Derek is terrorising a Yorkshire village

The jackdaw has reportedly been bringing fear to Rossington, near Doncaster, for a number of years, with villagers divided on whether the bird is wild or a domesticated pet. In the latest incident, one mother said children had been left petrified after ‘that bird’ launched an attack.

Detailing the incident on social media, she wrote: “It comes to something when kids can't even go into their own garden without being petrified because of that bloody bird Derek dive bombing them trying to attack them. So to whomever owns the horrible thing, if you want to try domesticate a bird like that then keep it at home because if it hurts my kids there will be hell to pay and I don't care who that offends.

“The thing is a menace, attacking kids in school playground, on the street, in their own garden. If it was any other animal it would have been put to sleep following the first attack on a child. Angry isn't the word. I don't care who thinks I'm overreacting or it's just a bird but it could take someone's eye out.”

But some villagers rushed to defend the bird, saying it was a wild animal and not a pet while others came to the support of the parent.

“Good old Derek,” posted one, while another posted: “Cannot stand the bird!”

Another described the feathered fiend as “demonic” while another dubbed it “a horrible nasty little thing.”

Another resident said: “They got made to come in and have indoor break at school last week coz Derek was attacking kids on playground. Me and my colleague was working outside at a customer’s house and got ambushed by Derek he’s an absolute terror,” wrote another.

The bird also has fans in the village, with one posting: “Derek’s mint! Just carry a bag of crisps and he will love you forever lol he just wants to be your friend!!, while another said: “My kids were feeding him earlier, he’s ace.”

One described the bird as ‘the village mascot’ while another added: “My daughter has told me a few times that Derek has caused all the kids to go inside at play time at school she said most of the kids love him.”

Jackdaws are two species of bird closely related to, but generally smaller than crows and ravens

The species are the western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula), which breeds in the British Isles and western Europe, Scandinavia, northern Asia and Northern Africa, and its eastern counterpart, the Daurian jackdaw (Coloeus dauuricus), found from China and eastern Siberia to Japan.