House Crow (Corvus splendens)

Other Names (World)
House Crow, Asian House Crow, Ceylon Crow, Colombo Crow, Indian Crow, Indian Bazaar Crow, Indian House Crow

Family
Corvidae (Crows And Jays)

Size
42 - 44 cm

First Described (Guide)
Vieillot, 1817

Derivation
Cor'-vus - L., crow: splen'-dens - L., shining

Abundance (Guide)
R - V

Rare vagrant arriving via ship. Most species having been destroyed on arrival.

Habitat
Agricultural and urban areas, mangroves, ports (of arrival).

Range (Guide)

Bangladesh, Bhutan, China (mainland), Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Jordan (B) (NB), Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, USA.

Vagrant to Afghanistan, Barbados, Cambodia, Denmark (NB), Japan, Spain (NB), United Kingdom (NB).

Introduced to Australia (E) (B), Bahrain (B) (NB), Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Gibraltar, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (B) (NB), Israel, Kenya, Kuwait (B) (NB), Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Netherlands, Oman (B) (NB), Qatar (B) (NB), Saudi Arabia (B) (NB), Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania [United Republic of], United Arab Emirates (B) (NB), Yemen (B) (NB).

Unknown to Chile.

Southern Iran to western China. Rare vagrant to Australia, mostly in Victoria and Western Australia arriving as a stowaway on board ship.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Usually small to large groups.

Food
Omnivorous. Mainly insects, grasshoppers and worms, including carrion. Also eggs, nestlings, grain and fruits.

Voice
A rasping, high, 'kza', downwards, 'kzow', lower, 'kiowk'. A harsh 'kaaa-kaaa'.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (177)...)

House Crow (Corvus) [XC211561]
by Albert Lastukhin from Udawalawe NP, Uva Province, Sri Lanka (call)

House Crow (Corvus) [XC727677]
by Bram Piot from American Club, Mayangon Township, Yangon, Myanmar (call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds on Malay Peninsula, Singapore, west Thailand and Cambodia, February - June.

Nest
Fairly large, deep cup, composed of sticks and twigs, in a tree, 3 - 4 m above the ground. May be several nests in the same tree.

Eggs (Guide)
3 - 7; fairly glossy, blue-green, blotched, speckled and streaked dull reddish and brown over some grey markings; oval; 35 x 26 mm.

Subspecies
Identity of shipboard assisted vagrants in Australia not known.

The following 5 subspecies are recognised:

splendens Vieillot, 1817 - India south of Himalayas except the north-west.
zugmayeri Laubmann, 1913 - North-western India and Pakistan.
protegatus Madar�sz, 1904 - Sri Lanka and south-western India.
maledivicus Reichenow, 1904 - Laccadive and Maldive Islands.
insolens Hume, 1874 - Burma, southern Yunnan and south-western Thailand.

Similar Species
Adults distinguished from all Australian corvids by having a dark brown, rather than white eyes.

Compare Images

References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

Files:

JPG files for House Crow (Corvus splendens) - 10 files

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