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Raptor / Tunisia (1 Viewer)

I must admit, I am puzzled, with the new pictures and the comments by Deb. My thoughts when I came back to this thread:
First, I looked again at the second picture (post 1) and still saw that "monster" bill with a good shape for a Raven. But now I think it might be an illusion partly caused by reflection (bill might be looking gleemingly pale). But I still struggle to see a pitfall picture in this case. And more I judged (and still do) picture 1 not good to judge shape, jizz and wingstructure because of angle and posture.

Second: I agree with Deb, tail-shape of Raven is variable depending on posture and spread.But I thought, it looks good for Common Raven (not perfect, so I thought it might be a Bron-necked, which I have never seen).
Sometimes Ravens tail can look rounded, see here: http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=14545

Third: looking at the additional photos in post 8, I first thought, this must be another bird. Then: Deb is right, thank you Deb!

I see many Ravens and while its right you see Ravens often in breeding pairs (male and his female), I see single Ravens and groups of Ravens many times a week.

Conclusion: thank you Deb! But I am not sure its a Carrion Crow. Might be the best answer, but I struggle to see a sure Carrion Crow in these pictures.
 
FWIW, I once got fooled by a distant Brown-necked raven in Oman, thinking it was a a Golden Eagle as it soared, the tail looked quite rounded when spread. This intriguing set of photos reminded me of that, and I think when the tail is spread it may lack the obvious diamond shape, and the bill looks large in the second shot, so I'd go with Raven.
 
Alexander Stöhr said:
Conclusion: thank you Deb! But I am not sure its a Carrion Crow. Might be the best answer, but I struggle to see a sure Carrion Crow in these pictures.
Click to expand...

Well that’s progress from seeing a Raven ;)

I honestly can’t see or know of any alternatives here to C.crow, unless it’s an escaped House Crow or something! (What else can be considered?)
 
sicklebill said:
... I think when the tail is spread it may lack the obvious diamond shape, and the bill looks large in the second shot, so I'd go with Raven.
Click to expand...

But there are lots of images Jose has provided with the tail in various angles and various spread. None of them show a diagnostic tail shape for Common Raven. I am not saying categorically this is a Carrion Crow, just I don’t think its a Raven for the reasons above.

just one last image of Raven with tail spread

https://www.naturebob.com/zenphoto/...e=common-raven-in-flight-underneath-photo.jpg

ps Carrion Crow seen here by experienced birder in Tunisia so obviously there are a few sightings:

“On the journey from Enfidha Airport to our hotel a single Carrion Crow was seen flying around a small village, a bit unusual that?”

https://ateambirding.wordpress.com/tag/stone-curlew/

And Carrion Crow is listed as occurring in Tunisia on Avibase

https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=TN&list=howardmoore

Anyway - I’ve said what is only my opinion. Other peoples opinion of course may differ as is often the case on these ID threads - I’ve said enough ;)
 
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Pics from a year and a half ago, and with no EXIF data - is there any possibility of a mix-up, and these are actually from some other location and date that have been filed wrongly by accident?
 
lou salomon said:
even if slightly out of range i think it got to be a brown-necked raven. tail can look like that of crowsfrom what i have seen.
Click to expand...

Is that in the field Lou? I’ve no experience with Brown-necked Ravens, but if you say their tails look like crows, this might explain why they don’t look like Common Ravens! (Are they also shorter winged and slimmer build than corax?)

They do look quite brown in flight dont they?
https://birds-in-flight.net/?p=4485
 
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they are slimmer built and their tails to me looked shorter than those of common ravens (in field, in egypt), but still slightly wedge shaped (which can alter depending on situation). their voices however are crow-like. they usually look black in the field.
 
lou salomon said:
they are slimmer built and their tails to me looked shorter than those of common ravens (in field, in egypt), but still slightly wedge shaped (which can alter depending on situation). their voices however are crow-like. they usually look black in the field.
Click to expand...

Thanks (I too have seen one or two in Egypt on family holidays many years ago but not to count as ‘experience’ to judge from these images!). I wonder then, given your obs, if the Carrion Crow sightings in Tunisia are wrongly recorded (see earlier links of trip reports and Avibase) - I remain undecided but pretty sure they are not Common Raven.
 
There's a possibility that I got my photos mixed, and these come from a different location, but I think it's a very unlikely one. The photos were inside my 'Tunisia' folder, and I'm usually very organized.

Also, here's a screenshot of the folder. The date shows 13 Feb 2019, which corresponds with the dates of my trip to Tunisia. I also uploaded some of other photos of birds in this forum around those dates.

Edit: The uploaded photos I refer to were of birds spotted in Tunisia too. So the dates coincide.
 

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Thanks! Happy with that option closed :t:

Suspect lou has got it now with Brown-necked Raven - slightly out of normal range, but far less so than Carrion or Cape Crows!!
 
I'd been wondering about Brown-necked too, but like most don't have enough experience for worthwhile comment. The lightened photo on the previous page appears to show a brown nape (but also pale rump, so not sure if relevant) and rounded tail in a few photos.
 
Nutcracker said:
- slightly out of normal range, but far less so than Carrion or Cape Crows!!
Click to expand...

I did say I misread the location as Tanzania when I suggested that and Carrion Crows are sighted in Tunisia! (Black birds tend to reflect light and can look silver/pale in parts so I would take any ‘pale’ rumps etc with a pinch of salt btw)

On images such as these, it is the structure (ie wing length/width/position of head in flight/tail shape/bill shape etc not plumage that should decide

Anyway, the consensus (out of boredom and democratic vote I suspect) is this was not a Carrion Crow that Jose saw in Tunisia :t:))
 
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