The brown-necked raven (''Corvus ruficollis'') is a larger bird (52–56 cm in length) than the

carrion crow 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. Taxonomy and systematics The carrion crow was one of the many species or ...

though not as large as the

common raven The common raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raven known by many names at the subspecies level; there are at least ...

. It has similar proportions to the common raven but the bill is not so large or deep and the wings tend to be a little more pointed in profile. The head and throat are a distinct brownish-black giving the bird its

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

name, while the rest of the plumage is black glossed with purple, blue or purplish-blue. Like the

thick-billed raven The thick-billed raven (''Corvus crassirostris''), a corvid from the Horn of Africa, shares with the common raven the distinction of being the largest bird in the corvid family, and indeed the largest of the passerines. The thick-billed raven a ...

and white-necked raven, it is one of the larger raven species. The feathers of this species often fade quite quickly to a brownish black (even the truly black feathers) and the bird can look distinctly brown by the time it moults. The feet, legs and bill are black. The dwarf raven was formerly considered a subspecies (''Corvus ruficollis edithae'') but this bird now appears to be closer to the

pied crow The pied crow (''Corvus albus'') is a widely distributed African bird species in the crow genus. Structurally, the pied crow is better thought of as a small crow-sized raven, especially as it can hybridise with the Somali crow (dwarf raven) whe ...

(''C. albus'') than this species.

Distribution and habitat

This species has a wide range across virtually the whole of

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, down as far as

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, the Arabian Peninsula and up into the

Greater Middle East The Greater Middle East, is a political term, introduced in March 2004 in a paper by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as part of the U.S. administration's preparatory work for the Group of Eight summit of June 2004, denoting a v ...

and southern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. It lives in a predominantly desert environment visiting oases and

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

groves. Food consists of a wide range of items, including carrion, snakes, locusts and other grasshoppers, stranded fish (in coastal areas), grain stolen from bags, dates and other fruits. It is quite fearless when not persecuted but is quick to become wary and shy if too much attention is paid to it. A 2009 Israeli study showed the species to cooperatively hunt lizards, with birds blocking exits while others hunted.

Nesting

The nest is very much like the common raven's, and may be found in trees, on cliffs or in old and ruined buildings. The dwarf raven seems to prefer thorn trees for its nest building. There are usually 4–5 eggs laid and incubated over 20–22 days. The young usually leave the nest by the 37th or 38th day and can fly well by 42–45 days.

Vocalisation

The voice is very similar to the common raven's consisting mainly of croaks, though higher in pitch; and a harsh ''"karr-karr-karr"''. In flight, it will utter a ''"kuerk-kuerk"'' call. Like all corvids, the Brown-necked raven is capable of vocal mimicry, however this behavior is mostly recorded in captivity and, although rarely, in the wild.

Gallery

File:Brown-necked Raven.jpg, alt=Corvus ruficollis from United Arab Emirates, left, ''Corvus ruficollis'' from United Arab Emirates File:Brown-necked Raven(Corvus ruficollis).jpg, left, Two brown-necked ravens in Egypt File:Corvus ruficollis MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.170.7.jpg, ''Corvus ruficollis '' - ( MHNT)

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q420818

brown-necked raven The brown-necked raven (''Corvus ruficollis'') is a larger bird (52–56 cm in length) than the carrion crow though not as large as the common raven. It has similar proportions to the common raven but the bill is not so large or deep and th ...

Birds of East Africa Birds of Central Asia Birds of the Middle East Birds of North Africa

Taxa named by René Lesson