{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "carrion-crow",
  "name": "Carrion Crow",
  "scientificName": "Corvus corone",
  "category": "Bird",
  "summary": "The carrion crow (Corvus corone) is an all-black crow of western Europe and eastern Asia, common in towns, farmland and on coasts. Despite the name it eats far more than carrion, from insects and grain to eggs and scraps. It weighs 300–450 g and is usually seen alone or in pairs, unlike the flock-feeding rook. BirdLife lists it as Least Concern with a stable population.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Identification",
      "body": "Carrion crows are black all over, with a glossy greenish or purplish sheen, a stout bill with feathers at its base and a square-ended tail. They are smaller than ravens and lack the rook's bare face. The call is a hard, rolling 'kraa'."
    },
    {
      "heading": "A split range",
      "body": "The species lives in two separate areas: western Europe, from Britain and Iberia to Germany and northern Italy, and eastern Asia, from Siberia to Japan. In between, the grey-and-black hooded crow takes its place, and the two interbreed where they meet."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Clever feeders",
      "body": "Carrion crows eat whatever is available and solve problems well. They drop shellfish onto rocks, cache food for later, raid bins and follow ploughs. Pairs hold territories year-round, while non-breeding birds may gather in flocks."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Status",
      "body": "BirdLife International lists the carrion crow as Least Concern (2024), estimating 54 to 92 million mature birds and a stable trend. BTO data give a typical life expectancy of 4 years; the oldest ringed bird lived 20 years and 10 months."
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Do carrion crows only eat carrion?",
      "answer": "No. They eat insects, worms, grain, fruit, eggs, small animals and human food waste as well as dead animals."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the difference between a crow and a raven?",
      "answer": "Ravens are much larger, with a heavier bill, shaggy throat feathers and a wedge-shaped tail. Crows are smaller with a square-ended tail and a higher-pitched call."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the difference between a carrion crow and a rook?",
      "answer": "Rooks have bare, pale skin around the bill base and usually feed in flocks; carrion crows have feathered bill bases and usually feed alone or in pairs."
    },
    {
      "question": "How long do carrion crows live?",
      "answer": "Typically about 4 years once they reach breeding age, but the oldest ringed carrion crow lived almost 21 years."
    }
  ],
  "sourceUpdate": null,
  "evidence": [],
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Aves",
    "order": "Passeriformes",
    "family": "Corvidae",
    "genus": "Corvus"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.45,
    "lengthM": 0.47,
    "topSpeedKmh": 0,
    "lifespanYears": 4
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Corvus corone"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Omnivore: invertebrates, grain, eggs, small animals, carrion, scraps"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Farmland, towns, parks, coasts and moorland"
    },
    {
      "label": "Size",
      "value": "About 47 cm long; wingspan 84–100 cm"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "300–450 g; UK adults average about 510 g"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "Typically 4 years; oldest ringed bird nearly 21"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2024)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Western Europe from Britain and Iberia to Germany and northern Italy, and eastern Asia from Siberia to Japan.",
    "continents": [
      "Europe",
      "Asia"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Carrion Crow Corvus corone. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.",
      "url": "https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/carrion-crow-corvus-corone"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web: Corvus corone. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Corvus_corone/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "BTO BirdFacts: Carrion Crow. British Trust for Ornithology.",
      "url": "https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/carrion-crow"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898",
      "url": null
    },
    {
      "citation": "Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.",
      "url": "https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/carrion-crow/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/carrion-crow/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}