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The Jackdaw and the Pigeons by Aesop for ESL Students with a video and vocabulary practice in real context

The Jackdaw and the Pigeons by Aesop for ESL Students

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The Jackdaw and the Pigeons by Aesop for ESL students with a video or podcast, vocabulary practice in real context, and questions for discussion

The Jackdaw and the Pigeons is now in the public domain available on Gutenberg Project.

Video of the Jackdaw and the Pigeons

The Jackdaw and the Pigeons

A jackdaw, watching some pigeons in a farmyard, was filled with envy when he saw how well they were fed, and determined to disguise himself as one of them, in order to secure a share of the good things they enjoyed.

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So he painted himself white from head to foot and joined the flock; and, so long as he was silent, they never suspected that he was not a pigeon like themselves.

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But one day, he was unwise enough to start chattering, when they at once saw through his disguise and pecked him so unmercifully that he was glad to escape and join his own kind again.

داستان فارسی کلاغ و قو برای آموزش زبان فارسی به کودکان با داستان

But the other jackdaws did not recognize him in his white dress, and would not let him feed with them, but drove him away: and so he became a homeless wanderer for his pains.

English proverbs from the short story

Here are two English proverbs related to the Aesop’s fable, The Jackdaw and the Pigeons:

Birds of a feather flock together.

This proverb means that people who are similar in some way tend to associate with each other. In the fable, the jackdaw wanted to fit in with the pigeons, but ultimately couldn’t because he wasn’t truly one of them.

You can’t fool all the people all the time.

This proverb means that it is impossible to deceive everyone forever. The jackdaw’s disguise eventually failed, revealing his true nature.

Vocabulary in real context

  1. jackdaw: a medium-sized noisy black bird of the crow family known for stealing things
  2.  envy: jealousy
  3. disguise: something done to prevent recognition, camouflage, concealment
  4. flock: group of birds
  5. unwise: foolish, imprudent
  6. chatter: talk, babble, chat
  7. peck: to strike or hit something or someone with beak
  8. unmercifully: relentlessly, brutally, cruelly, severely
  9. recognize: identify
  10. wanderer: nomad, traveler

Questions for discussion

  1. Why did the jackdaw want to disguise himself as a pigeon?
  2. What mistake did the jackdaw make that revealed his true identity?
  3. What lesson can be learned from the jackdaw’s experience?

8 thoughts on “The Jackdaw and the Pigeons by Aesop for ESL Students”

  1. 1.watching some pigeons in a farmyard, was filled with envy when (he saw how well they were fed), and determined to disguise himself as one of them.
    2.But one day, he was unwise enough to start chattering, (when they at once saw through his disguise) and pecked him so unmercifully.
    3.(You can’t fool all the people all the time.)

    D.r Hariri this => ( ) shows the most important part of the answer. 😁

    • Agreed. The jackdaw was taken by surprise. In fact, the pigeons outsmarted the jackdaw by truly recognizing his deceitful and sly manner.

  2. 1. The jackdaw disguised himself as a pigeon because he had low self-esteem and didn’t accept himself as he was. He wished he was a pigeon, so he started to disguise and change his appearance.
    2. He acted unwisely and started chatting with other pigeons, and it was at that time that they discovered his secret.
    3. The lesson I got from this fable is that we should accept ourselves as we are and not try to be someone else.

    • Thanks for your comment and opinion.
      I think the jackdaw was not really low in self-esteem. He was basically so lazy and began to cast covetous eyes on the pigeons’ feast and blessings.

  3. 1- The jackdaw saw some pigeons in a farmyard. The pigeons had a good food to eat. So, the jackdaw joined the pigeons to feed with them for more convenience in his life.
    2- The jackdaw forgot his sound was not like the pigeons. Therefore, when the jackdaw unconsciously started chattering with other, they recognized him.
    3- In this story, the jackdaw left his group to gain the better position in terms of convenience. But, in the end, the jackdaw also lost what he had. The jackdaw could enjoy with his flock without any change or pretense.

    • Thanks for your comment on the fable, The Jackdaw and the Pigeons.
      Feedback
      1. a good food = good / decent food
      2. to feed with them = to enjoy the food / to feast on the food with them (Feed is transitive and requires an object.)
      3. was not like the pigeons = was not like the pigeons’ (sound)
      4. with other = with others
      —
      You can ask any question you might have about the corrections.

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