Why do jackdaws nest in pipes?

Since ancient times, the jackdaw has been living next to humans and nests on different surfaces and in the crevices of stone buildings, as it resembles the nesting places habitual for this bird in natural conditions.

The natural habitat of jackdaws
In the natural environment, jackdaws are now less common than in human settlements. In such places, they settle on rocks, inside stones, prefer to feed in open spaces (in fields, arches, etc.), where they catch small insects. In colder seasons, they feed on seeds and other plant parts.

The distribution area of ​​jackdaws covers the entire eastern and middle part of Eurasia, as well as some northern regions of Africa.

Distribution of jackdaws in cities
Jackdaws from time immemorial began to live in human settlements, like many other birds, for example:

crows;
starlings;
sparrows.

At the moment, most of these birds adhere to cities than ecological natural zones. Jackdaws have found many advantages in the neighborhood of man. First, it creates a huge number of places where they can nest and feel protected from predators. Such locations (pipes, gutters, chimneys, roofs, etc.) remind them of the environment in which they nested in nature.

Secondly, you can always find food in cities, even in the coldest winter. Jackdaws feed in city parks, on lawns that attract insects. In the complete absence of the usual food, birds can eat garbage and other remnants of human activity.

Another important advantage of cities is the absence of predators, because, for the most part, birds like jackdaws settle here. Predators usually avoid settlements. In some places jackdaws with crows form mixed flocks that feed and move together.

Although earlier all jackdaws were nomadic and in winter they went from the cold places of Europe to the south, to the warmer regions, life in the cities changed this. The availability of food in winter completely eliminated the need for migration for some flocks of jackdaws.