The beak of the crow is stouter and in consequence looks shorter, and whereas in the adult rook the nostrils are bare, those of the crow are covered at all ages with bristle-like feathers. There is frequent confusion between the carrion crow and the rook, another black corvid found within its range. The carrion crow has a wingspan of 84–100 centimetres (33–39 in) and weighs 400–600 grams (14 oz – 1 lb 5 oz). It can be distinguished from the common raven by its size of around 48–52 centimetres (19–20 in) in length as compared to an average of 63 centimetres (25 inches) for ravens, and from the hooded crow by its black plumage. The plumage of the carrion crow is black with a green or purple sheen, much greener than the gloss of the rook. brachyrhynchos) in North America.Īdult male carrion crow moulting at the Jardin des Plantes of Paris. Īlong with the hooded crow, the carrion crow occupies a similar ecological niche in Eurasia to the American crow ( C. orientalis) is distinct enough to warrant specific status the two taxa are well separated, and it has been proposed they could have evolved independently in the wetter, maritime regions at the opposite ends of the Eurasian landmass.

The hooded crow, formerly regarded as a subspecies, has been split off as a separate species, and there is some discussion whether the eastern carrion crow ( C. The binomial name is derived from the Latin corvus, 'raven', and Greek κορώνη korōnē, 'crow'. The carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, and it still bears its original name of Corvus corone. 3 Distribution and genetic relationship to hooded crows.

Carrion crows