Corvus corone, Carrion Crow

Common Name: Carrion Crow

Corvus corone, more commonly known as the Carrion Crow, is a black crow, about the same size as a Rook (Corvus frugilegus), but unlike the Rook, the Carrion Crow has neatly feathered thighs, and feathers around the base of the beak.

While at first appearance its plumage is black, on closer inspection it has a green and purple iridescence. In flight, the Carrion Crow has a shorter head than the Rook, as well as having slower wing beats. The tail is squarer in the Carrion Crow, and the "fingers" at the wing tips are less splayed. Juvenile Carrion Crows have duller, browner plumage and pale blue eyes; the adults have brown eyes.

The Carrion Crow has many calls but the most common is "kraa-kraa-kraa". They have a diverse diet: worms, insects, fruit, seeds, kitchen scraps, eggs, and young birds.

Typically, a Carrion Crow's nest is built in the fork of a tree, cliff edge or even electricity pylon and is a large construction of twigs lined with hair and bark. It is built by both birds. The duties of incubating the eggs are performed by the female. The eggs are about 43 mm by 30 mm, smooth and glossy, pale bluish-green with dark brown and grey markings. Both adults feed the young.

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