Hooded Crow (Corvus corone)

The Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) (sometimes called Hoodiecrow) is a Eurasian bird species in the crow genus.

It is so similar in morphology and habits to the Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) that for many years they were considered by most authorities to be merely geographical races of one species. The fact that hybridization was observed where their ranges overlapped added weight to this view. However, since 2002, the Hooded Crow has been elevated to full species status after closer observation; the hybridisation was less than expected and hybrids had decreased vigour. Within the Hooded Crow species, four subspecies are recognized, with one, the Mesopotamian Crow, possibly distinct enough to warrant species status itself.

The Hooded Crow was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae and it once again bears its original name of Corvus cornix. The binomial name is derived from the Latin words Corvus, “Raven”, and cornix, “crow”. It was subsequently considered a subspecies of the Carrion Crow for many years, and hence known as Corvus corone cornix, due to similarities in structure and habits.

photo : Mihai BACIU