Thick-billed Raven

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thick-billed Raven
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus
Species: C. crassirostris
Binomial name
Corvus crassirostris
Rüppell, 1836

The Thick-billed Raven (Corvus crassirostris), a corvid from the Horn of Africa, shares with the Common Raven the distinction of being the largest in the corvid family, and indeed the largest of the most diverse bird order, the passerines. The Thick-billed Raven measures 64 cm (25 in) in length and weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) on average.[2] It has a very large bill that is laterally compressed and is deeply curved in profile giving the bird a very distinctive appearance. This bill is black with a white tip and has deep nasal grooves with only light nasal bristle covers.

This raven has very short feathers on the head, throat and neck, which on the throat and upper breast have an oily brown gloss. The rest of the bird is glossy black except for a distinctive white patch of short feathers on the nape and onto the neck.

Distribution and habitat

Its range covers Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia; its habitat includes mountains and high plateau between elevations of 1500 to 3400 metres.

Behaviour

Rüppell's depiction of the species (1835).

Diet

The Thick-billed Raven is omnivorous, feeding on grubs, beetle larvae from animal dung, carrion, scraps of meat and human food. It has been seen taking standing wheat. When seeking food from dung, it has been seen using a distinct scything movement to scatter the dung and extract the grubs.

Nesting

It nests in trees and on cliffs, apparently building a stick nest like the similar White-necked Raven. It lays three to five eggs.

Voice

Its calls include a harsh nasal croak, a low wheezy croak, a "raven-raven", and sometimes a "dink, dink, dink" sound.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Corvus crassirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013. 
  2. ↑

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corvus crassirostris.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.