Pied crow is said to be the most widespread crow of Africa. These crows are supple birds and seen from Sub-Saharan Africa down to Cape of Good Hope, Madagascar, the Comoros Islands, Pemba, and Zanzibar.
Pied Crows are highly adaptable to several habitats, including cities, open mountain meadows, shrubland, villages, farms, urban, suburban areas, and towns where it finds food and garbage.
adaptable to several habitats
However, while they are wide-ranging birds, pied crows are not found far from villages and towns. They generally form pairs or small groups and are social birds. They also make flock in non-breeding times of the year. Big flocks of up to 300 birds have been recorded.
At times, many individuals fly together and make a circle in the air and enjoy their social gathering.
BIOMETRICS
Length: 45 cm approx.
Weight: 400-700 g approx.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PIED CROW
Pied crows have a white patch from their back to their bellies, and the Chest to upper belly is white, and the remaining parts of the body are black. They are having the Black bill and legs. These are a bit smaller than a White-necked Raven.
it is reported they can break eggs of ostrich
The thick, strong bill of the Pied Crow helps it to eat a wide range of food. Their eyes are dark brown.
They have a number of different sounds, pupil expansions, and body movements that differ between groups. The pied crows are amazingly intelligent— like other crows and ravens, recent studies show that members in the Corvus species have the same mental ability as a 5-7-year-old child. They are able to do mimicry and can make a sound like parrots.
DIET OF THE PIED CROWS
The Pied Crow finds its feed during the day. Pied Crows, ravens, and other corvids are very intelligent, and use tools to get food!
These birds have a flexible diet; they do eat invertebrates such as insects, mollusks, and spiders. It also takes small vertebrates such as rodents, frogs, birds, lizards, and fish. Bats and small birds can be caught during flight.
They also eat rubbish dumps and roadside kills. This crow also feeds on plant items such as seeds, roots and fruits, dates and oil palm nuts, potatoes, and rice.
So they eat a range of insects, mammals, small reptiles, young birds or their eggs, seeds, fruits, grain, nuts, garbage, carrion and so on.
REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR
Pied Crows breed throughout the year. Both male and the female make a nest whose shape is like a bowl-that is made with vegetation, twigs, and lined with soft materials they found nearby.
The nest is located in a tall tree usually or on structures made by man such as the top of telephone poles, pylons, tall buildings, and rarely on cliff ledges.
they love to live close to human residents
Between September through November, 3-6 eggs are laid that are incubated by both but mostly by the female and males provide the food. If both of the parents are busy finding the food then the eggs are covered. Incubation takes around 19 days.
The young crow’s feathers fill in after 45 days after hatching. And then the young crow is able to fly. Both parents took their part to raise their kids.
The average age of most wild-crows is about 20 years, while in imprisonment; they can live for much longer.
POPULATION OF THE PIED CROW
The global population size of the pied cows can’t be quantified, and the species is thought to be common, stable, and locally abundant. The Pied Crow has much adapted to human habitation and lives in urban, suburban, and agricultural areas.
pied crow is widespread
FLIGHT OF THE PIED CROW
The Pied Crows perform long, continuous and strong flight with strong and steady wing beats.
8-FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT PIED CROW
The ‘pied’ part of the Pied Crow’s name derives from the black and white coloration of the feathers.
Pied Crows are known for cramming and distressing large birds of the target to keep it away from their nest.
The Pied Crow can crossbreed with another African corvid, the Dwarf Raven, or Somali Crow, where their ranges overlap.
The Pied Crow is Africa’s most widely spread corvid.
It has been reported that they break eggs of Ostrich from height by dropping stones.
The pied crow is rarely seen far from human residents.
They use to sleep at joint roosts in large trees in the parks where there are many birds that can be seen.
The Pied Crows are so faithful that pair-bonds probably last all their life.
Sania has done her masters from Hailey College, University of Punjab. She has served as a banker for 3.5 years as well. Her interest in birds is because of their beautiful voice & colors.
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