- Corvus minutus
Identification
34 - 36cm.
- Black plumage with purble-blue iridescence
- Brown iris
- Short, stout, sharp-pointed bill
- Well-developed nasal bristles covering nostrils
Sexes similar, males larger than femals. Juveniles are duller than adults.
Similar Species
Confusingly similar to Cuban Crow. Voice is the key character. Differs as follows:
- has very different calls which are more "crow-like" (cf the strange, vaguely parrot-like calls of Cuban crow)
- gape of Cuban Palm-Crow stops short of the eye; that of Cuban Crow extends to the middle of it at least
- Cuban Palm-Crow is generally stated to have a shorter, less massive bill than Cuban Crow although this can be difficult to judge
- Cuban Palm-Crow generally has more elongated feather tufts over the upper mandible compared with Cuban Crow. In the latter, the nasal tufts do not cover the nostrils.
- Cuban Palm-Crow has a squared-off tail. Cuba Crow's is somewhat more rhomboidal with a curved rear edge
- Cuban Palm-Crow has shorter wings. These give it a less ponderous flight action with faster and deeper wing beats. Cuban crow has a more fluttery flight where it may not raise its wings much above the horizontal
- Cuban Palm-Crow may rest with wings held loosely by its sides. Cuban Crow often holds its wings with the tips crossing over the tail
- [reportedly] walks on the ground: Cuban Crow hops
- Cuban Palm-Crow is smaller. Often difficult to judge in the field
Bill characters in particular seem variable and can be difficult to judge (at least based on ebird photos).
Distribution
Endemic to western Cuba. Rare and local, confined to Camaguey province now.
Taxonomy
It was formerly considered conspecific with Hispaniolan Palm-Crow.
Appears to be closely related to the Fish Crow of the eastern seaboard of the United States and also two smaller species, the Tamaulipas Crow and Sinaloa Crow of Mexico and forms a species group with them.
Subspecies
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Mostly lowland cultivations with scattered palms.
Behaviour
Feeds on invertebrates (beetles, caterpillars, cicadas, snails), liards and fruits. Usually foraging in pairs or small groups on the ground.
Breeding
Breeding season from March to July in Cuba. Presumably a solitary nester. The nest is made of sticks and placed in a palm tree or possibly among tree branches. Lays about four eggs. Breeding habits poorly known.
No information about movements.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v 14.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.14.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Kirwan, GM, A Levesque, M Oberle, and CJ Sharpe. 2019. Birds of the West Indies. (Lynx and Birdlife International Field Guides) Barcalona, Lynx Editions. ISBN 978-84-16728-17-6
- Kirwan, G. M., J. Marzluff, and C. J. Sharpe (2023). Cuban Palm-Crow (Corvus minutus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.cupcro1.01
- Birdforum thread discussing id of this species
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Cuban Palm-Crow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cuban_Palm-Crow
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
