The Somali crow, or dwarf raven (''Corvus edithae''), is approximately the size (44–46 cm in length) of the

carrion crow The carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae, native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic. Taxonomy and systematics The carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus ...

, ''Corvus corone'' but with a longer bill and a somewhat more brownish cast to the feathers, especially when worn.

Distribution and species

This species occurs principally in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

, the

Ogaden Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; , ) is one of the historical names used for the modern Somali Region. It is also natively referred to as Soomaali Galbeed (). The region forms the eastern portion of Ethiopia and borders Somalia ...

and the

Northern Frontier District The Northern Frontier Province or Northern Province, or initially referred to as 'Northern Frontier District' (NFD) was one of the provinces of British Kenya. Originally, the Northern Frontier covered the northern region of East Africa Protectorat ...

in the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

, and can be distinguished from the larger

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 t ...

''C. ruficollis'' by its call, appearance and differences in its behaviour. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the larger

(''C. ruficollis''), but is now considered to be a distinct

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. This crow is thought to be closer to the pied crow ''C. albus'' by some authorities, especially in its behaviour, than to the brown-necked raven. Hybrid birds between the pied crow and the Somali crow appear to reinforce this close relationship where the two species meet. The nest is a ravenlike bulky structure set in either a lone tree or on telegraph poles. It will nest on cliffs in coastal regions or areas where trees are unavailable. The 3-5 eggs are laid in April and early May. The voice is described as a harsh ''"caw"'' rather like the rook, ''Corvus frugilegus'' of

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1301945 Somali crow Birds of the Horn of Africa Somali crow