Alternative names: Small-billed Crow; Bennett's Crow
- Corvus bennetti
Identification
45-48 cm. A small and slender billed crow:
- Glossy black plumage
- White eye
- Base of feathers white (in hand)
- Small bill
- Short legs
- Short throat hackles
Sexes similar. Juveniles duller than adults.
Similar species
Much smaller than Australian Raven. More rapid and agile flight than Torresian Crow.
Distribution
Endemic to Australia where found inland and in the west.
Abundant and widespread.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Proposed subspecies bonhoti usually not recognized, queenslandicus based on misidentified Torresian Crow.
Habitat
Very dry, near desert areas. Also in open woodland, shrubland, pastoral land and towns.
Behaviour
Omnivourus. Feeds mainly on insects, lizards, small birds, eggs, nestlings and carrion. Takes also frogs, small mammals, seeds, fruit and occasionally nectar. Feeds on the ground.
Very sociable and often in large flocks.
Breeding season in the south from July to October, in the north from January to September. Nests in small colonies. The nest is a large bowl made from sticks. It's usually placed less than 10m above the ground in a tree, shrub or a man-made structure like a windmill platform.
A nomadic species, wandering around in mobile flocks outside the breeding season.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
- Simpson, K and N Day. 1998. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-4877-5
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Little Crow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Little_Crow
