Thick-billed Ravens
Raven Information Page ... Raven Photo Gallery
The Thick-billed Raven (Corvus crassirostris), a Corvid from the Horn of Africa, shares with the Common Raven the distinction of being the largest in the Corvid family (60-64 cm in length and 1.5 kg), and indeed the largest of the Passeriformes (perching birds).
Description
It has a very large bill that is laterally compressed and is deeply curved in profile giving the bird a very distinctive appearance. This bill is black with a white tip and has deep nasal grooves with only light nasal bristle covers.
This raven has very short feathers on the head, throat and neck, which on the throat and upper breast have an oily brown gloss. The rest of the bird is glossy black except for a distinctive white patch of short feathers on the nape and onto the neck.
Distribution and Habitat
Its range covers Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia; its habitat includes mountains and high plateau between elevations of 1500 to 3400 metres.
Diet
The Thick-billed Raven is omnivorous, feeding on grubs, beetle larvae from animal dung, carrion, scraps of meat and human food. It has been seen taking standing wheat. When seeking food from dung, it has been seen using a distinct scything movement to scatter the dung and extract the grubs.
Nesting
It nests in trees and on cliffs, apparently building a stick nest like the similar White-necked Raven. It lays three to five eggs.
Voice
Its calls include a harsh nasal croak or a low wheezy croak or sometimes a "raven-raven" sometimes their call is a "dink,dink,dink" sound.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! Please click here for info
The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
