House Crow: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Dhruva Punde · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Corvus splendens
- Family
- Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- Size
- About 43 cm
- Habitat
- Towns, ports and villages
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
Slim, dark crow with a glossy black forehead, throat and wings, and a dull grey-brown neck and breast. Hooded Crow is larger and stockier, with a clearly paler grey body that contrasts sharply with its black head, wings and tail.
Voice
A flat, hoarse 'kaa-kaa'.
Good to know
It spread on ships from South Asia to ports in places such as East Africa and Singapore, where it is now a pest.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Hooded Crow. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in towns, ports and villages. It is especially common in Nepal, Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.