Thick-billed raven

Thick-billed raven
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
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. Like the Common raven, Brown-necked raven and White-necked raven, it is one of the larger raven species. The smaller raven species are the Australian raven, Forest raven, Little raven, Fan-tailed raven and Chihuahuan raven with the Thick-billed raven being the world's largest raven species and the Chihuahuan raven being the smallest.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. Like all corvids, the Thick-billed raven is capable of vocal mimicry, however this behavior is mostly recorded in captivity and, although rarely, in the wild.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corvus crassirostris.

• Thick-billed Raven videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection