Carrion Crow
(Corvus corone)
Despite its deceptively menacing look, in part thanks to a strong cultural perception of the macabre – think Omen 2, and the scene in which Joan Hart is attached by a Raven; yes, a different bird (Corvus corax), but perceived equally as somewhat ominous, which is, in fact, an unfair assumption. It has been established that the Carrion crow is among the most intelligent animals on earth; comparable, indeed, to the intellect of a chimpanzee. According to a study conducted by the National Geographic (see here), Crow brains are relatively the same size as Chimpanzee brains,” and the authors go on to suggest that Crows “think” about their social and physical environment, and that they use tools to gather food.
Apparently, pet crows express a unique sound for their owners. Yes, they give their owners a name.
Perhaps it is this intelligence that gives the Carrion crows its enigmatic yet ethereal demeanour – from both an actual and cultural point of view; Picture it perceptive, with focused eyes, slowly and steadily beating its wings as it maneuvers through the sky, with those “fingers” at the tips of its wings. They look, strangely, like human fingers in silhouette.
BTO reporting rate of Carrion crows
Carrion crows are also often confused with Rooks, whose beaks are stouter, more prominent and do not feature any bristles or hair. Interestingly, unlike Rooks, which are generally very sociable and gregarious birds, Carrion crows are more solitary in nature, although this can change to some degree over winter.
Although at first sight it is easy to see the Carrion crow as having a uniform black plumage, this isn’t the case. Look closer, and you will notice a subtle green and purple sheen that is really rather attractive. And they have neatly feathered thighs and feathers around the base of their beaks.
“Raven crow” is the literal translation of Corvus corone.
Taxonomy
The Latinate binomial name, Corvus corone, is derived from both Latin (Corvus) and Greek (Corone). The genus, “Corvus”, can be translated as “Raven”, and “Corone” means crow; therefore, “Raven crow” is the literal translation of Corvus corone.
What do Carrion crows eat?
“Crows are known to sunbathe for a dose of Vitamin D.
Carrion crows eat a substantial variety of food; in fact, the count thus far is at around 1,000 different items. Some of these include, but are not exclusive to, young chicks, eggs, meat, seeds, scraps and worms. They have been known for tearing violently at smaller, less aggressive birds; one of their techniques is to stun smaller birds before consuming them.
In your garden, you could probably put out just about anything in order to attract them.
Carrion crow behaviour
Carrion crows are well known for their solitary nesting behaviour, although they do maintain extensive breeding territories around their nests. Interestingly, Carrion crows work collectively to provide protection from predators and other intruders.
They do exhibit a specific behaviour of resting upon some prominent perch, such as a chimney pot or television aerial, vocalising quite loudly with a series of harsh, timed croaks.
Ravens are huge birds, by far the biggest in the crow family (55 – 67cm in length), and their all-black appearance gives them a somewhat ominous appearance; Carrion crows (48 – 52cm in length), on the other hand, are archetypal crows: uniform black body, large protruding beak, yet a beak much smaller than that of the Raven. Take a look at the difference below.
What’s the difference between a Carrion crow and a Raven?
Raven – Corvus corax
Carrion crow – Corvus corone
Have fed crows for 50+ years on fresh stewing steak frequently during the day. Have seen changes in generations/mates. Disappear at nesting time and return with none, one or, on one occasion, two young. Watch parents ‘persuade’ young to leave. Some take longer than others!
Hi, we have lots of Rooks come to our garden. I call them the gentle giants as they wait until the small birds have eaten and gone into the trees before swooping down from the high tree tops for food.
I had often wondered why I had not seen any crows – living here for 33yrs. We get Jackdaws and Blackbirds along with lots of other small birds and the Rooks seem to like them, then one day –
we did get a crow – and it was attacked immediately. I was watching in the conservatory and by the time I opened the doors shouting to stop them attacking it – it was too late. I went down to the bushes a few yards away (where I put all the food), and it was dead unfortunately.
So I take it that Rooks do not like Crows.
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We have two very large carrion crows (don’t think they are ravens) and we had two magpies. About a week ago I found both magpies dead within a short distance of each other. Could the crows have killed them.
I have become fascinated with the crow’s behaviour. After I keep seeing one particular crow visible to me if I go walking local. I then witnessed for two days this crow aggressive and attacking two cat’s. This crow visits my garden for the bird bath
I have 2 beautiful crows that come to eat when I whistle them,they often say thank you by sitting on my fence talking to me and sometimes they ask for more food by calling me.they are very clever and friendly,what I would really like to know is why are they both so aggressive to any other crow Maggie?I thought crows lived together.I have come to love these birds and watch there behaviour intently.
I am a site manager of a primary school in Manchester and since April we seem to have adopted a carrion crow which attacks its own reflection at every window all around the school at every level it has now started to land on any car in the car park and attack the windscreen wipers we have named him Russel and his wife Cheryl but if by next spring is he likely to attack the young children when the crows have fledglings
I have a pair of crows that visit my garden most days as I put out mixed bird food for them on my lawn. Food for the smaller birds is either protected under mesh covers or fed via feeders.
They are beautiful birds and like to bathe in the top of the waterfall above my pond. They often fiddle about at the top of the waterfall pulling weed about – maybe it has small creatures in it. I’ve seen one feed the other with food which is rather charming.
They are such handsome birds and I’m very fond of them.
My husband watched a crow land on a roof opposite our house. It had in it’s mouth what seemed to be a piece of salmon. It ate a bit and then pushed the rest under a roof tile.It then got a piece of moss and covered up it’s secret larder!
A couple of days ago I was working in the garden and the starlings started screeching and flying around chasing a crow. I then noticed the crow had a fledgling in its beak. The starlings chased the crow relentlessly back and forth across the sky and eventually the crow disappeared but the starlings were disturbed for some considerable time. An hour or so later the same thing happened again and again today I heard the starlings screeching and sure enough, the crow had struck again and this time the bird in his beak was quite large.
I was brought up in a rural area and now live on the edges of South East London. I am in my 60’s and have never seen this before. Has anyone else
witnessed this behaviour? I couldn’t find much on google.
Yes – when living in London we watched a crow taking a jay’s chicks one by one. It was very sad, but there was nothing we could do from where we were. Now living in the country we have a huge crow who seems to love the garden.. transfixed by the pond – he thinks he’s a heron. It’s the wild west out there – big bird eats little bird – just the way it is.
I had an injured crow 2 years ago ( mangled foot), been feeding him since and was glad to see his mate and then his young….however its been months of bringing the young and his condition is deteriorating . he seems to have 3 and their incessant cries for food seems to have no end.. They all are big now but I can’t find anywhere how long they stay with him ( no sign of mum) . someone higher up says some take longer to make the young leave.. Any advice would be appreciated as I’m quite fond of Carlton…
I’ve read that crow offspring can stay with their parents for a few years and often help with rearing new chicks. Being intelligent they have complex behaviours and also have more capacity to learn, so might stay close to their parents to learn more about food gathering and family rearing. Three crows tend to hang around together near my home and, despite all appearing to be adults, I guess one is a grown offspring staying with its parents. I think crows and ravens are fascinating, and when humans have learnt how to live in harmony with the natural world then maybe there will be a closer relationship with these beautiful creatures.