I'd appreciate some help identifying these three corvids I photographed in Austria during the Summer:
I know identifying corvids can be difficult and I'm not an ornithologist -- just an amateur bird watcher. After looking through many images of various crow species and their hybrids, I've tentatively identified these as:
- Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
- Carrion crow × Hooded crow (Corvus corone × Corvus cornix)
- Carrion crow × Hooded crow (Corvus corone × Corvus cornix)
I initially believed this to be a Hooded crow (Corvus cornix), but the broken coloration on the wings made me think it might actually be a hybrid as well.
Can someone here either confirm my identification or provide a more informed identification?
Answer
The plumage of carrion crow is black with a green or purple sheen, much greener than the gloss of the rook. The bill, legs and feet are also black. It can be distinguished from the common raven by its size (48–52 cm or 19 to 20 inches in length as compared to an average of 63 centimetres (25 inches) for ravens) and from the hooded crow by its black plumage
ashy grey bird with black head, throat, wings, tail, and thigh feathers, as well as a black bill, eyes, and feet.
At first glance, #2 looked somewhat like a Western jackdaw (Corvus monedula) because the grey feathers travel fairly high up on its neck and because the bird appears to be somewhat smaller.
Measuring 34–39 centimetres (13–15 in) in length, the western jackdaw is the second smallest member of the genus Corvus...The cheeks, nape and neck are light grey to greyish-silver, and the underparts are slate-grey. The legs are black, as is the short stout bill.
However, C. monedula has fairly conspicuous grey eyes and its feathers travel up the neck/head almost as far superiorly/anteriorly as the eyes. Neither appear to be the case in your specimen.
All three species are common in Europe.
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