Hooded Crow  / Corvus cornix / غراب أبقع

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Status: Very common

The Hooded crow belongs to the Corvidae family in the Passerine order. It is 44-51 cm in size, 350-460 grams in weight and with a wingspan of 84-100 cm. The Hooded Crow is the most common crow in Palestine. It is a medium-sized crow. Its body is light gray colored while the wings, the tail and the head are black. The chest is also decorated by a black apron. It has a thick and strong beak that enables it to eat almost anything and therefore its diet is very diverse and consists of basically everything. It can be seen eating seeds, fruits, insects, bird chicks, dead animals and hard nuts such as pecans which it drops from high altitude in order to crack them open. It can resemble the Rook and the Indian House Crow but differs from them by its bi-colored plumage and louder and hoarser calls. The Hooded Crow is very vocal and tends to group up together with other Hooded Crows. Its call is hoarse and loud and usually sounds like a loud, rolling "krra krra kra". The Crow tends to call from high viewpoints and before calling its stands upright and then stretching its head forwards as if to push out the rolling 'krra" call. It gives away the location of raptors such as Sparrow hawks by calling angry calls, mostly while chasing them. Its flight is somewhat indifferent and sloppy with flat and hesitated wing beats. The Hooded Crow nests on high trees mainly around human inhabited areas and agricultural areas but also in marshlands and groves. It can even build a nest on electricity poles. The distribution of the Hooded Crow spreads throughout most of the Palearctic. The Hooded Crow in Palestine belongs to the C. c. sardonius subspecies that breeds in Turkey, the Balkan, the Mediterranean and Egypt. In Western Europe breeds the C. c. corone subspecies which is completely black colored and its considered to be declining. In Palestine the Hooded Crow is growing rapidly in numbers due to its very clever nature and its ability to adapt to the human environment.

Conservation status – least concern.

Migratory behaviour: Resident breeder

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