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Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) — photo 1 of 3
© Zeynel Cebeci CC BY-SA 4.0

Crows and jays · Perching birds

Hooded Crow

Corvus cornix

Year-round

Voice

Call

Dimitǎr Boevski

0:04

Song

Jochem verweij

0:26

How to recognize it

  • Jackdaw-sized, sturdier and brighter

  • Ash-gray body with black head and wings

  • Harsh croaking call, often repeated

  • Moves with wide strides, sometimes hopping while walking

About the species

The hooded crow is a familiar city companion, easy to notice for its grey body and black head, wings, and tail. It looks sturdy and purposeful, and in flight its heavy, steady movement stands out.

It is watchful and quick to size up people, and it can remember those who feed it. On the ground it walks with long strides, then switches to hopping when it spots food or senses danger, and its voice is a rough, familiar caw.

It lives close to people in parks, squares, and other green places, and in winter it often moves toward the edges of towns and other food sources. It eats almost anything, from insects and small animals to seeds, scraps, and carrion, and in cities it is good at taking advantage of what is available and caching leftovers for later.

Did you know?

  • Ant-acid parasite bath

    Hooded crows dig open an ant hill and freeze above it, letting the ants douse their plumage with acid that kills parasites.

  • Tag-team dog-fur heist

    Hooded crows team up to pluck a shedding dog: one or two birds distract it from the front while a third sneaks in from behind, snatches a tuft of fur from the tail or back, and darts away.

  • Crusts crushed by tram

    Hooded crows lift shells into the air and drop them on stones, while stale crusts they soak in a puddle or lay on the tram rails so the tram crushes the treat for them.

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Sources