Jake the jackdaw was only weeks old when a gull dropped him at Jaime and Adrian Lee’s home in Axminster, Devon, alone and near death.
The couple took him in and nursed him back to health but he decided to stay and even thinks they’re his parents! He even eats from their mouths, as can adorably be observed in the video below:
[rumble video_id=v6579b domain_id=u7nb2]
Video credit: Rumble
Jaime, 42, said: “He does think we are his parents and if you are eating anything he’ll be right over.
“Wheat Crunchies are his favorite crisps. He’ll be on your shoulder trying to prize your mouth open to get them. He also likes Fab lollies.
“He sits on our shoulders when we drive, he thinks it’s amazing.”
Jake has thwarted all efforts to release him back to the wild so the couple went ahead and bought a bird box and perches.
Jake was likely only weeks old when he fell outside their house in May, dropped by a seagull. With two holes in his neck plus a damaged leg and wing, he was near death.
Jaime added: “We refer to him as a cat or a dog sometimes because we totally forget he’s a bird.
“Jake has been to the lakes twice for two-night sessions fishing with Adrian, and he’s been to my sister’s farm as well because we wanted to get him flying in an open space.
“He sits on our shoulders when we are driving, even when you are going down a dual carriageway, he thinks it’s amazing.”
Taking the advice of veterinarians, Jaime and Adrian, 43, raised Jake and then tried to return him to his own kind but Jake has been dead set on staying.
Jaime said: “His mom and siblings still call to him when he’s in the garden but he doesn’t show any interest.
“Maybe one day he will.”
Like magpies, crows, and ravens, jackdaws are part of the corvid bird family. They are well-known for their intelligence and problem-solving skills.
Jaime added that they feed him mealworms and crickets. While they try as much as possible to stick to a jackdaw’s natural diet, there’s no stopping Jake when he takes a fancy to something.
She said: “We shut his box at night, but he can push it open if he wants, he’s got his bird box and play box.
“We try and do most things naturally but sometimes he likes what he likes, including FAB lollies.”
Replaced!