The Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) is a common medium-sized bird. It is a corvid.
The Carrion Crow is black-brown with a green or purple iridescent sheen. Its beak, legs, and feet are black. It has a strong stout dark-grey beak. Its nostrils have bristle-like (hairy) feathers. It has relatively short, broad wings in comparison with rooks and ravens.
Carrion Crow
It measures 48-52 centimetres (19-20 inches) tall, which is smaller than the Common Raven. It has a wingspan of 84-100 centimetres (33-39 inches).
The Carrion Crow is native to western Europe and eastern Asia.
It is mainly solitary and territorial, defending its territory from other birds. It is an intelligent bird.
It eats carrion (the meat of dead animals), but it also eats insects, worms, grain, seeds, fruit, frogs, eggs, and small animals. It will also scavenge food scraps from humans.
The Carrion Crow makes a nest from twigs in a tall tree or cliff ledge. The female lays 3-4 eggs, which hatch after 18-20 days. Only the female sits on the eggs, and the male gets her food. The chicks gain all of their flight feathers after 29-30 days.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM