Hooded Crow
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- Jan
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They're lovely birds (I have to admit to being a bit of a corvid fan), and common in Scotland of course, but also in parts of Europe. My partner who's been to northern Italy a fair bit on business told me they're common there too. I have seen one at Slimbridge, just the once and a while ago. I've never managed to get a decent photo of one.
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A couple of weeks ago I was watching either crows or rooks - can't remember which now. It's my age - cracking nuts (presumably chestnuts?) by dropping them from a great height onto the nice paving in Tesco's car park. They were flying over. They didn't manage to hit any cars or people while I was watching, but............
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Hi Jan
Russ
- I've seen great black-backed gulls dropping crabs onto a pebble beach in order to get a tasty snack! Nature will always find a way for a meal
Russ
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They like many in the crow family will eat just about anything. I remember photographing one fishing and catching a fish about the same size as the bird itself and it managed to fly a short distance as well. . Nice birds.
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Well I saw loads in Berlin in July
Was it at the zoo by any chance? There were a "murder" of them (if that's what you call a group of hooded crows) fighting over the visitor's litter. I might even have some pics, I'll take a look in my archive later...
Nice looking birds and I'm a corvid fan too
Tringa
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A good shot of a great bird.
The fact hooded crows are not, in general, seen in England is interesting and I can't find a reason. They are more common in Scotland and there is overlap with the carrion crow (and interbreeding occurs, which tended to support the ideal (apparently not now believed) of hooded and carrion crows being one species) but in the Highlands they are the common crow, in the same way as the carrion crow is in England. It seems they haven't spread south and the carrion crow hasn't spread north, a lot. However, in the last 5 or so years I have seen more carrion crows in and around Inverness so perhaps the carrion crow is moving more than the hooded.
As mentioned above they are just like any other crow - opportunistic and bright and I don't know why they haven't moved into other areas of the UK; perhaps they cannot compete with the carrion crow.
Dave
The fact hooded crows are not, in general, seen in England is interesting and I can't find a reason. They are more common in Scotland and there is overlap with the carrion crow (and interbreeding occurs, which tended to support the ideal (apparently not now believed) of hooded and carrion crows being one species) but in the Highlands they are the common crow, in the same way as the carrion crow is in England. It seems they haven't spread south and the carrion crow hasn't spread north, a lot. However, in the last 5 or so years I have seen more carrion crows in and around Inverness so perhaps the carrion crow is moving more than the hooded.
As mentioned above they are just like any other crow - opportunistic and bright and I don't know why they haven't moved into other areas of the UK; perhaps they cannot compete with the carrion crow.
Dave
Well I saw loads in Berlin in July
Was it at the zoo by any chance? There were a "murder" of them (if that's what you call a group of hooded crows) fighting over the visitor's litter. I might even have some pics, I'll take a look in my archive later...
Nice looking birds and I'm a corvid fan too
It was outside the Olympic Stadium, I only had my phone camera but here they are:
