Crow
Corvus corone
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Distribution Britain 2,762 (-0.3%) Ireland 970 (-1.2%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 970,000 Ireland 290,000 European status: 6,200,000 (21% in Britain and Ireland =1) British population trend: steady increase (+101% CBC){+120%} How likely are you to record it? 3753 squares (83.6%) Ranked 5 [11] |
The two races of crow (Carrion corone and Hooded cornix) and their hybrids bred all over Britain and Ireland from the first records but they were severely persecuted. They were, and are, considered to be very serious predators of game birds wherever they may occur — even on the highest mountain tops where Ptarmigan may be taken. They were also blamed for lamb deaths and so the farmers' guns, traps and poison were also turned against them. A general increase in numbers started with the First World War when so many keepers were re-deployed into the army. This was apparent all over the range but particularly in lowland England and Ireland. In Scotland the hybrid zone between the carrion and hooded forms has moved steadily north and west over the last 70 years. The CBC has increased about four-fold in the last 35 years and the five-year BBS (1994-98) increased significantly by 7%. Despite legal destruction the Crow is going to be a common bird throughout our area in the future.
Watson, A. 1996 Scottish Birds: 18, 206-207 (and 19, 64).
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead