Tuesday 23 July 2013

Large Billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)

OTHER NAMES: Jungle Crow
Latin Etymology: Corvus ("raven") macrorhynchos ("great billed")
Adult Large Billed Crow (subspecies C. m. japonensis) at Kyoto Imperial Palace Gardens, Kyoto, Japan - July 2013

Featured Subspecies: Corvus macrorhynchos japonensis
Weight: 500-700g  /  Length: 46-59cm  /  Wingspan: 104cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Large-Billed Crow found in Japan is sometimes split into a separate species (Corvus japonensis) but as I can currently find fairly minimal support for this, I'm changing this article to reflect the original setup. - either way it is one of the common crows of Japan, being found in a broad range of habitats, both urban and rural much as the Carrion Crow does in Europe, although it also co-exists with that species.  It is pretty much the most easy species to come across in Japan of all birds short of the Feral Pigeon and Tree Sparrow.  Personally, I really like the sound these birds - it is a lot less harsh than that of Carrion Crows and echoes in a pleasing way, although in Japan they are regarded as a nuisance.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus
Subspecies: C. m. intermedius, C. m. tibetosinensis, C. m. mandshuricus, C. m. japonensis, C. m. connectens, C. m. osai, C. m. levaillantii, C. m. culminatus, C. m. colonorum, C. m. macrorhynchos, C. m. philippinus

- Sighting Locations -
JAPAN - Japaneseハシブトガラス  /  Hasgi-buto-garasu ("Thick-billed Crow")
Abundant throughout Japan.
 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: Common throughout Kyoto, Osaka and Arashiyama
 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Very common throughout Tokyo, Kushiro, Kamakura, Akkeshi and Shiranuka.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red ListRSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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