- Corvus macrorhynchos
Identification
46-59 cm. Long bill with the upper one quite thick and arched, making it look heavy. Dark greyish plumage from the back of the head, neck, shoulders and lower body. Their wings, tail, face and throat are glossy black. The depth of the grey shading varies across its range to almost black in the Indian form.
Distribution
Asia, Afghanistan and eastern Iran in the west, and south to India down to the Malay Peninsula in the southeast. The Philippines also have a regional form.
Taxonomy
There are eleven subspecies in this taxon which could be split into several species in the future:
- Japonensis group
- C. m. intermedius in east Afghanistan, Pakistan, along the Himalayas to south Tibet and north Nepal
- C. m. tibetosinensis in Tibet, eastern Himalayas (east from Bhutan), north Burma and extreme south China
- C. m. mandshuricus in the Russian Far East, Korea, Sakhalin and northeast China
- C. m. japonensis in Japan and south Sakhalin
- C. m. connectens on Amami Oshima and Ryukyu Island (Japan)
- C. m. osai on southern Ryukyu Islands
- Levaillantii group
- Macrorhynchos group
- Philippinus group
- C. m. philippinus in Philippines
More subspecies are proposed but usually not accepted. The taxonomy of this species is not yet solved.
Habitat
Woodland, parks and gardens.
Behaviour
The nest is a platform of twigs, usually high up on a tree with a preference for tall conifers like Fir or Pine. There are normally 3-5 eggs laid and they are incubated for 17-19 days. The young are fledged usually by about the 35th day.
