Thp: Hoodel) Crow 175 



Familx—C0K]'I1K-E. 



The Hooded Crow. 



Collins comix, LiNN. 



" 1 ^OUND throughout Europe east of about loug. 10°, and iu Asia extends 

 I ' north of Turkestan, throughout Asia Minor and Persia into Afghanistan, 

 and through Palestine into Egypt. Examples from the Persian Gulf have 

 the pale slate-grey replaced by nearly white, and have been called C. capcllauns ; 

 but Siberian birds are intermediate in colour, and the Persian birds can only be 

 looked upon as a local race." — Sceboli??!. 



An autumn and winter visitant to England and Wales, where a few pairs 

 have, from time to time, remained to breed ; whilst in the Isle of Man it is 

 believed to breed regularly. Throughout Scotland and Ireland it is pretty 

 generally distributed, resident and common, interbreeding occasionally with the 

 Carrion-Crow in the former countr}^ and in Wales. 



The typical Hooded Crow has the head, throat, and front of breast, wings, 

 tail, and thighs black, with purple and green gloss ; remainder of plumage ashy- 

 grey, with the exception of the centre of the upper tail-coverts which is blackish, 

 becoming quite black close to the tail; bill and feet black; iris dark brown. The 

 female is similar in plumage, but browner on mantle and slightly smaller, the 

 bill is larger, but broader when seen from above, and with heavier lower mandible. 

 The young are duller in colour. 



There is a large migration of Scandinavian Hoodies southwards at the 

 approach of winter, to which fact we owe our seasonal visitation. 



The late Henry Stevenson in his "Birds of Norfolk," says: — "The Royston 

 or Grey-backed Crow, as this species is also called, visits us in autumn in large 

 numbers, arriving about the first week in October, though occasionally earlier, and 

 leaves again by the end of March or beginning of April. They frequent for the 

 most part the broads and marshes near the rivers, particularly the mouths of tidal 

 streams, and are extremely numerous on the sea coast, where they also gradually 

 collect together towards the time of their departure in spring. It is fortunate for 

 Norfolk that this destructive species leaves us so regularly iu the breeding-season, 

 as no greater enemy to the game-keeper probably exists, neither eggs nor young 



