The fact that crows – like all corvids – are curious can be seen clearly in some of the videos we shot with our wildlife cameras.
Latin name: Corvus corone
Characteristics:
The carrion crow has an entirely black plumage, a powerful black beak, and black legs. The most striking difference with the rook (which also lives within Tapijn, but in far fewer numbers) is the colour at the base of the beak. For rooks it is coloured grey, and for crows it is coloured black. Furthermore, the rook ‘rotates’ during flight, which the crow does not do.
Crows make a low, but loud scratching sound.
The crows within Tapijn sometimes have white spots in their plumage. This indicates that they are in bad condition. This may be due to, for example, a temporary lack of food (for example, crows with damaged wings). The growth of the feathers then temporarily comes to a standstill and less pigment is produced. Once the crow’s diet improves, its plumage will be black again after the next moult.
If some feathers are completely white, this may indicate a genetic defect, leucism. Due to a mutation, melanin is not deposited in certain feathers. These feathers are then completely white.
Reproduction:
Carrion crows do not nest in colonies, like rooks do. Their nests are large and usually built high up in a tree. They use twigs and branches that they weave together and strengthen with mud. The inside is covered with all kinds of materials: wool, feathers, animal fur, and grass. But just like in coot nests, you can also find waste such as paper or wire in a crow’s nest. Birds of prey and owls that do not build their own nests, often use old crow’s nests. For example, the tree falcon, the kestrel, and the long-eared owl. For these species, the crow’s nests are, therefore, essential.
During the breeding season from March to June, crows have 1 clutch, usually with 4 eggs. The eggs hatch after 17 to 22 days of brooding and the chicks remain in the nest for 30 to 36 days. The parents feed their young for about 5 weeks after they have left the nest.
Diet:
The crow is a food opportunist that eats everything, including insects, seeds and nuts, but also carcasses (crows benefit from traffic casualties just like magpies) and human rubbish. During the breeding season crows also eat the eggs and the young of other birds. They really keep an eye on their nests.
