18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - CARRION CROW (Corvus corone)

The carrion crow (Corvus corone) is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae and the genus Corvus which is native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic.

The plumage of the Carrion crow is black with a green or purple sheen, much greener than the gloss of the rook. The bill, legs, and feet are also black. There is frequent confusion between the Carrion crow and the rook, another black corvid found within its range. 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. As well as this, the wings of a Carrion crow are proportionally shorter and broader than those of the rook when seen in flight. Juvenile Carrion crows can be identified by their brownish plumage and blue eyes, both of which darken to black and brown as the crow grows older.

Carrion crows are native to western Europe and much of Asia. Birds that live in colder areas may migrate south to spend the winter months. Carrion crows live in a variety of habitats including parks and gardens, cultivated areas, wetlands, forest clearings, woodlands, moors, inshore islands, coastal cliffs, and tidepools.