Birds of Oman home   Bird names   News    Family groups 1-26    Tips   Glossary   Plumage   Thumbnails    General information    Credits    PHOTOS FOR SALE
NON-PASSERINES     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10     11     12     13     14 15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22     23     24    25    26    PASSERINES
Common names sorted alphabetically: B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   K   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   V   W  

23

House Crow

(Corvus splendens)
Alternate name(s): "Indian Crow", "Grey-necked Crow", "Colombo Crow", "Ceylon Crow"
Size: 37-42 cm; wing span: 68-80 cm
Weight: 250-500 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See House Crow at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "splendens"(?)

ADULT

Sex unknown

Want your fur cleaned? Rent-a-Crow! 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]

House Crow holding an object while pecking away
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

House Crow checking the water temperature...
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

...next some splashing, dipping in the bill...
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

...a bit deeper...
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

...until it all feels good and comfy...
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

...afterwards try to shake off some water...
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

...but take-off is still such a drag with wet feathers!
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

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.

Empty House Crow's nest
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

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

This House Crow nest has three chicks in its nest
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]

Eggs

Size: ? Colour: Light-blue with grey speckles Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

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.

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

Another 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]

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.