Little crow

Description

The little crow (Corvus bennetti) is an Australian species of crow, very similar to the Torresian crow in having white bases to the neck and head feathers (shown when ruffled in strong wind) but slightly smaller (38–45 cm in length) and with a slightly smaller bill. It has the same white iris that distinguish the Australian species from all other Corvus except a few island species to the north of Australia, and one from Eurasia, the jackdaw (Corvus monedula). Like the Australian raven, this species has a blue ring around the pupil. It ranges over western and central Australia, often inhabiting very dry, near desert areas. It frequents small country towns and cultivated areas, where its flocks have reminded people of the European rook. C. bennetti was named in honour of the New South Wales ornithologist and collector of natural history specimens, Kenric Harold Bennett. Its food is mainly taken from the ground and includes insects, cereals and other seeds. It is less of a scavenger than the Torresian crow. It usually nests in small, loose colonies, building stick nests lined with mud (the only Australian species of Corvid known to do this). The little crow's calls range from a harsh hark-hark-hark-hark to a more raven-like ah-ah-ah. Corvus is a widely distributed genus of medium-sized to large birds in the family Corvidae. It includes species commonly known as crows, ravens and rooks. The species commonly encountered in Europe are the carrion crow, the hooded crow, the common raven, the jackdaw and the rook; those discovered later were named "crow" or "raven" chiefly on the basis of their size, crows generally being smaller. The genus name is Latin for "crow". The 45 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents except South America, and several islands. The Corvus genus makes up a third of the species in the family Corvidae. The members appear to have evolved in Asia from the corvid stock, which had evolved in Australia. The collective name for a group of crows is a "flock" or a "murder". Recent research has found some crow species capable of not only tool use, but also tool construction. Crows are now considered to be among the world's most intelligent animals with an encephalization quotient equal to that of many non-human primates.