Common raven

    Corvus corax

Castilian: Cuervo

Catalan: Corb

Gallego: Corvo grande

Euskera: Erroia

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Corvidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

The primary threats it faces are illegal poisoning and accidents with electrical cables. Also, it has long been a heavily pursued species because it is considered harmful to other animals that are sought after by hunters.

Length / size: 54-67 cm / 115-140 cm

Identification: Very large crow (larger than the common buzzard) with a very thick and powerful bill. Its plumage is completely black with some bright metallic parts.

Song: A metallic and deep "cohrp" cry. It makes an alarm sound something like "crack crack crack".

Diet: Its diet is very varied and adaptable. It includes invertebrates, grains, carrion, micromammals, and chicks and eggs of other birds.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in February with the installation of the nest in an inaccessible place in a rock. It is made of branches, roots and hair or down which covers the inside. Incubation begins in March and is done by the female; however, both parents feed the chicks.

HABITAT

It shows a preference for rocky chasms, and altitude is not a factor. It sometimes occupies less steep areas, nesting in elevated towers. Outside breeding season it can be found in rubbish dumps, forming roosts in nearby areas.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It extends throughout almost all of Spain except for the Guadalquivir Valley, the Southern Plateau, and the unrough parts of Almería and Murcia.

In Castile and León: It breeds in all the provinces, and its densest concentrations are found in Salamanca, Burgos, Valladolid and León.

Movements and migrations: It is a sedentary nesting species. However, both immature and northern populations tend to migrate to other areas during winter.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 60000-90000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 2000-3000 breeding pairs.