The house crow (''Corvus splendens''), also known as the Indian, greynecked, Ceylon or Colombo crow, is a common

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

of the

crow family Corvidae is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan Family (biology), family of Songbird, oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, Rook (bird), rooks, magpies, jackdaws, jays, treepies, choughs, and Nutcracker (bird), nutcrackers ...

that is of

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n origin but now found in many parts of the world, where they arrived assisted by

shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

. It is between the

jackdaw Jackdaws are two species of bird in the genus ''Coloeus'' closely related to, but generally smaller than, crows and ravens ('' Corvus''). They have a blackish crown, wings, and tail, with the rest of their plumage paler.Madge & Burn (1994) 136� ...

and 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 ...

in size ( in length) but is slimmer than either. The forehead, crown, throat and upper breast are a richly glossed black, whilst the neck and breast are a lighter grey-brown in colour. The wings, tail and legs are black. There are regional variations in the thickness of the bill and the depth of colour in areas of the plumage.

Taxonomy

The nominate race ''C. s. splendens'' is found in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh and has a grey neck collar. The subspecies ''C. s. zugmayeri'' is found in the dry parts of South Asia and Iran and has a very pale neck collar. The subspecies ''C. s. protegatus'' is found in southern India, the Maldives (sometimes separated as ''maledivicus'') and Sri Lanka and is darker grey. ''C. s. insolens'', found in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, is the darkest form and lacks the grey collar.Rasmussen, PC & JC Anderton (2005) Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. Vol 2. p.598

Distribution and habitat

It has a widespread distribution in southern Asia, being native to

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

and

Laccadive Islands The Laccadive Islands ( ) or Kannur Islands (formerly spelled Cannanore, ) are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the central subgroup of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Amindivi Islands ...

, southern

, south

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, and coastal southern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. It was introduced to

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

around

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

(about 1897) and

Port Sudan Port Sudan (, Beja: ) is a port city on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, and the capital of Red Sea State. Port Sudan is Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% of the country's international trade. The population of Port Sudan was estimated in ...

. It arrived in Australia via ship but has up to now been exterminated. Recently, it has made its arrival in Europe and has been breeding in the Dutch harbour town

Hook of Holland Hook of Holland (, ) is a coastal village in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was in use before the word ''wikt:kaap#Dutch, kaap'' – "cape". The English translation using Hook is a false cognate of t ...

since 1998. A population between 200 and 400 birds has been present in

Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po () is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei (). It is located in and is the namesake of the Sham Shui ...

New Kowloon New Kowloon is an area in Hong Kong, bounded to the south by Boundary Street, and to the north by the ranges of the Eagle's Nest, Beacon Hill, Lion Rock, Tate's Cairn and Kowloon Peak. It covers the present-day Kwun Tong District and Wong ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, in particular

Lai Kok Estate The following is an overview of public housing estates in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, including Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSPS), and Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) estates. History The site where Sham Shu ...

and

Sham Shui Po Park Sham Shui Po Park () is a park in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It comprises two physically discontiguous sites on either side of Lai Chi Kok Road. The larger site is more well-known as Sham Shui Po Park. The smaller, located within L ...

, as well as

Kowloon Tsai Park Kowloon Tsai Park is a park located in the Kowloon Tsai area of New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It lies within the Kowloon City District and opened on 5 June 1964. History In the 1950s, the area was used as a borrow area to supply fill for the extens ...

Kowloon Tsai Kowloon Tsai () is a place Hong Kong. It was formerly a village in a valley, which has now been developed into a low-density and upscale residential area in New Kowloon. History According to the ''Gazetteer of Xin'an county'', Kowloon Tsai v ...

. An individual has been present in Cork Harbour on the south coast of Ireland since early September 2010. In the New World, a small population of house crows is established in the area around

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

. As of April 2009, the introduced population of house crows in

Socotra Island Socotra, locally known as Saqatri, is a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean. Situated between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, it lies near major shipping routes. Socotra is the largest of the six islands in the Socotra archipelago as ...

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

, has been eradicated to avoid negative ecological effects to endemic species of Socotra. It is associated with human settlements throughout its range, from small villages to large cities. In Singapore, there was a density of 190 birds/km² in 2001 with efforts to suppress the population in planning. Due to a human population explosion in the areas it inhabits, this species has also proportionately multiplied. Being an omnivorous scavenger has enabled it to thrive in such circumstances.

Invasive species

The invasive potential for the species is great all over the tropics. This species can make use of resources with great flexibility and appears to be associated with humans, and no populations are known to exist independently of humans. Based on niche-modelling it is estimated that it can also persist in some coastal areas in southern and northwestern Europe. In 2016, house crow was added to th
List of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern
The breeding population of this species is reported from Netherlands (Hoek van Holland), while individuals were seen in Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Spain.

Behaviour

Diet

House crows feed largely on refuse around human habitations, small

reptile Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...

s and

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s, and other animals such as

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s and other small invertebrates, eggs, nestlings, grain and fruits. House crows have also been observed swooping down from the air and snatching baby squirrels. Most food is taken from the ground, but also from trees as opportunity arises. They are highly opportunistic birds and given their omnivorous diet, they can survive on nearly anything that is edible. These birds can be seen near marketplaces and garbage dumps, foraging for scraps. They have also been observed to eat sand after feeding on carcasses.

Nesting

At least some trees in the local environment seem to be necessary for successful breeding although house crows occasionally nest on telephone towers. It lays 3–5 eggs in a typical stick nest, and occasionally there are several nests in the same tree. In

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

they are parasitized by the

Asian koel The Asian koel (''Eudynamys scolopaceus'') is a member of the cuckoo family of birds, the Cuculidae. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent, Pakistan, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related black-billed koels ...

. Peak breeding in India as well as Peninsular Malaysia is from April to July. Large trees with big crowns are preferred for nesting.

Roosting

House crows roost communally near human habitations and often over busy streets. A study in Singapore found that the preferred roost sites were in well-lit areas with a lot of human activity, close to food sources and in tall trees with dense crowns that were separated from other trees. The roost sites were often enclosed by tall buildings. Before flying into roost trees, crows make pre-roosting aggregations perched on TV antennas, roof tops, wayside trees, open fields, and feed or preen during this time.

Voice

The voice is a harsh ''kaaw-kaaw''.

Relationship to humans

It is suspected that paramyxoviruses, such as PMV 1 that causes of

Newcastle disease Virulent Newcastle disease (VND), formerly exotic Newcastle disease, is a contagious viral avian disease affecting many domestic and wild bird species; it is transmissible to humans. Though it can infect humans, most cases are non-symptomati ...

may be spread by ''Corvus splendens''. Outbreaks of Newcastle disease in India were often preceded by mortality in crows. They have also been found to carry ''Cryptococcus neoformans'', which can cause

cryptococcosis Cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal fungal infection of mainly the lungs, presenting as a pneumonia, and in the brain, where it appears as a meningitis. Coughing, difficulty breathing, chest pain and fever are seen when the lungs are infect ...

in humans. House crows in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

curiously showed an absence of blood parasites, although some species such as ''Trypanosoma corvi'' have been first described from this species. Pathologist T.R. Lewis expressed surprise at the numbers of haematozoa present in the blood of house crows from Calcutta.

Gallery

File:House Crow (Corvus splendens) sleeping at night in Kolkata W IMG 4532.jpg, Sleeping at night in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. File:House Crows (Corvus splendens) grooming in Kolkata I IMG 4324.jpg, Grooming behaviour in India. File:House Crows (Corvus splendens) grooming after bath in the rain in Kolkata I IMG 4324.jpg, Grooming after bath in the rain in India. File:House Crows (Corvus splendens) bathing in Kolkata I IMG 4324.jpg, Bathing in India. File:Corvus splendens insolens @ Kuala Lumpur (2) alternate crop.jpg, House Crow swallowing bread in Kuala Lumpur. File:House crow- fishing a way of life I.jpg, Eating fish File:House Crow I IMG 6211.jpg, In flight in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. File:House Crow I2 IMG 1093.jpg, Assembling in the evening File:House crow Bangalore India.jpg, In Bengaluru, India File:House Crow feeding chicks.jpg, House crow feeding chicks in Chennai, India File:House-crow fledgling, 2014.jpg, House crow fledgling File:House Crow collecting twigs.JPG, Collecting twigs for building a nest,

Central Park (Kolkata) Central Park situated in Salt Lake is a public urban park. It is also known as ''Banabitan''. It is the third largest open space in Kolkata Metropolitan Area after the Maidan and Eco Park. This park is easily reachable from the Karunamoyee ...

File:House Crow Chennai.jpg, House Crow in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

File:Corvus splendens.jpg, House Crow (Corvus splendens zugmayeri) in

Desert National Park Desert National Park is a national park in the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the towns of Jaisalmer and Barmer. It is one of the largest national parks, covering an area of in the Thar Desert. Sand dunes form around 44% of the park. The maj ...

References

External links

House Crow Monitor

Bibliography fromCorvids Literature Database

House Crow Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
*
''Corvus splendens''
a
Global Invasive Species Database
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q507383 Corvus Birds of South Asia Birds described in 1817 Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot Invasive bird species