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Brown-headed Crow - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: Brown-capped Crow

Corvus fuscicapillus

Identification

45cm. A medium-sized Crow:

  • Massive, strongly arched bill. Male with black bill, female with black-tipped yellow bill.
  • Plumage glossy black except head and neck which are dark brown
  • Blue iris
  • Black legs

Juveniles are browner and scruffier than adults.

Distribution

Locally on northwest New Guinea, Aru Island and West Papuan Islands.
A rare and not well known restricted-range species.

Taxonomy

Subspecies[1]

This is a polytypic species which consists of two subspecies:

  • C. f. fuscicapillus on Aru Island
  • C. f. megarhynchus on Gemien and Waigeo (West Papuan Islands)

Birds of coastal northwest New Guinea have not yet been assigned to a subspecies.
It may be most closely related to Grey Crow, White-billed Crow and Bougainville Crow.

Habitat

Moist forests and mangroves upto 500m. Only rarely in open areas.

Behaviour

Feeds on fruits.
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes in small flocks.
No information about breeding.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507

Recommended Citation

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