23

House Crow (Corvus splendens) Alternate name(s): "Indian Crow", "Grey-necked Crow", "Colombo Crow", "Ceylon Crow" Size: 40-44 cm; wing span: 67-90 cm Body mass: 245-415 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.38-0.92

Oman: Family Group 23 Family Group 23 Table House Crow Brown-necked Raven Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds of Oman home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description House Crows are relatively small corvids, with a size in between those of a Western Jackdaw and most ravens (such as e.g. the Brown-necked Raven). They have a black facial mask (high forehead, chin, cheeks), light-grey ear coverts and otherwise a grey head, neck and chest band. The rest of the body plumage is dark-grey, although some specimens seen by us have an all light-grey front. The irises are dark. The rather slender, slightly hooked bill is dark-grey. Legs and feet are grey.

Taxonomy, classification See House Crow at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the House Crow is available HERE . House Crows, of which there are three recognized races, are a sedentary species of southern central Asia, with a range extending from the South coast of Iran via most of Afghanistan and Pakistan, into all of India and Sri Lanka, and further eastward into Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia and the Maldives. They are also found in eastern and southern Africa (where they may have been introduced). House Crows are one of the most common species along the North coast of Oman. Having most likely arrived in Arabia on trading vessels (most sources treat the species as an invasive pest), they are also present in other sea ports in the UAE, and also on both sides of the Red Sea and in some ports on the East-African coastline.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "splendens" House Crows, nominate race "splendens", were seen by us on a daily basis in many different locations and in large numbers along the North coast of Oman, from the eastern cape to the Batinah region in the West. They are well-adapted to the presence of humans (and other creatures) around them.

Photos

Race "splendens"(?)

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of a House Crow picking seeking shelter on a very hot day
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Want your fur cleaned? Rent-a-Crow! Close-up lateral view of a House Crow picking parasites off a goat's fur
[Sharqiyah region, May 2010]

Lateral view of a House Crow
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Dorsal view of a House Crow
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

Lateral view of a House Crow in flight
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]

House Crow literally swooping an Indian Roller (a potential nest robber) off its perch
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Apr - July

Eggs: 3 - 5

Incubation period: ?

Fledging age: ?

Nest building: ?

Incubation: ?

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

Type: Basket

Material: Sticks

Height above ground: 5 - 20(?) m

House Crows are semi-colonial nesters; there can be several nests in one tall tree.

House Crow near its nest, which is still under construction
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

House Crow nest with three chicks in it
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]

House Crow's nest that is still under construction
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Eggs

Size: ?

Colour: Light-blue with grey speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Invasive

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair/mob/flock

Additional information

There is a separate page showing a House Crow taking a bath.

The House Crow shown below is not drinking, but is in fact rinsing something edible it had brought along. Once the food was clean, it was ready for consumption.

House Crow rinsing food
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Food, Diet

We have seen House Crows take both plant material (flowers, fruit) and small animals (such as e.g. parasites they pick off goats), see photos below.

House Crow that has found something to eat
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a House Crow holding an object while pecking away
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Close-up lateral portrait of a House Crow with a potential meal
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

We clean heads as well... ticks are worth the effort
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

houscrw_me_20250926.m4a

Contact calls?

© MD

More House Crow sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.