Red deer stag being groomed by jackdaws ENTERTAINING images of a red deer stag being groomed by jackdaws at Richmond Park have been captured. Pictures show the relaxed-looking stag enjoying some winter sunshine with jackdaws happily removing any parasites from his coat, which coincidentally make a delicious snack for the birds. The jackdaw is a small, black-capped crow with a distinctive silvery sheen on the back of its head and is known for its hard "tchack" call. The birds use the red deer to help make their nests by plucking the velvet which is shed from the stags' growing antlers. They also remove ticks from these animals and the stag accepts this behaviour as they understand the benefits of it for them. These images were captured by British wildlife photographer, Sue Pooley from Hook, Hampshire. “I took these images from a distance of 131 feet when the stag laid down to rest and was happily taking advantage of the free cleaning service,” she told mediadrumworld.com. “The crows and jackdaws offer a great service to the stags where they remove any parasites from their fur and make a nice snack out of them at the same time. “I enjoy capturing this harmonious relationship between the birds and the stags which depicts how mutually beneficial relationship works in the wild.” ENDS