Large-billed Crow

Order - Passeriformes
Family - Corvidae (Crows)

Large-billed Crow

Corvus macrorhynchos

巨嘴鸦 (jù-zuǐ yā) / 大嘴乌鸦 (dà zuǐ wū-yā)

    Malay : Gagak Paruh Besar

    Japanese : ハシブトガラス (hashi-buto garasu)

    Kanji 日語漢字 : 嘴太烏 / 嘴太鴉 / 山烏 / 山鴉

    Extent of Occurrence (resident/breeding) : 39,100,000km²
    Migratory Status : Not a Migrant
    Breeding Endemic : No

    Size : 46–59 cm; 450–1000 g; Wingspan 100–130 cm

    

    Subspecies (12) and Distribution

    EBIRD GROUP (POLYTYPIC)

    Large-billed Crow (Large-billed) Corvus macrorhynchos [macrorhynchos Group]

• Corvus macrorhynchos japonensis (Bonaparte, 1850, Japan; restricted to Hokkaido by Stresemann 1916)
  – Central and southern Sakhalin, southern Kuril Islands, and Japan (south to Kyushu and Osumi Islands).
• Identification :
  – Subspecies japonensis is largest of the subspecies, with the largest bill (70–80 mm) with an almost ridged arch on the culmen, dusky gray bases to the neck feathers, and highly glossed plumage.
• Corvus macrorhynchos connectens (Stresemann, 1916, Miyakoshima, southern Ryu Kyus)
  – Amami-Oshima and northern Ryukyu Islands (Japan).
• Identification :
  – Subspecies connectens is similar to japonensis but smaller (bill 62–69 mm).
• Corvus macrorhynchos osai (Ogawa, 1905, Kobamashima, southern Ryu Kyus)
  – Southern Ryukyu Islands.
• Identification :
  – Subspecies osai is similar to japonensis, but the bill is smaller (55–59 mm).
• Corvus macrorhynchos mandshuricus (Buturlin, 1913, Samarga River, Ussuriland)
  – Russian Far East, northern Sakhalin, Korea, and northeastern China (south to Hebei); breeding recorded also in Transbaikalia.
  
• Identification :
  – Subspecies mandshuricus is only a little smaller than japonensis and has duller plumage, with the bill shorter (60–68 mm) but deeper and more highly ridged.
• Corvus macrorhynchos colonorum (Swinhoe, 1864, northeastern Formosa)
  – Northern China to northern Indochina and Taiwan.
  
• Identification :
  – Subspecies colonorum is similar to japonensis but smaller (bill 57–61 mm), with a duller neck and underparts and less purple in gloss of wings and tail.
• Corvus macrorhynchos hainanus (Stresemann, 1916, Hoihow [= Hai-k’ou], Hainan)
  – Hainan (southern China).
• Corvus macrorhynchos mengtszensis (La Touche, 1923, Mengtsz, southern Yunnan)
  – Southwest China (southern Yunnan).
• Identification :
  – Subspecies mengtszensis was described as differing from C. c. colonorum in having the head and neck very glossy, with black underparts, each feather broadly edged glossy blue-black; upperparts mixed purple and green, with the innermost secondaries, primaries, and their corresponding coverts green, and the remainder of the secondaries (and their coverts) purple.
• Corvus macrorhynchos tibetosinensis (O. Kleinschmidt & Weigold, 1922, 'southeastern Tibet in the Sifan region' [i. e. eastern Sikang])
  – Eastern and southeastern Tibetan Plateau and eastern Himalayas (east from Bhutan) east to northern and northeastern Myanmar and extreme southern China (southern Qinghai south to Yunnan).
• Identification :
  – Subspecies tibetosinensis is large (bill 60–73 mm), is very black and glossy, and has variable whitish to dark gray bases of neck feathers.
• Corvus macrorhynchos intermedius (Adams, 1859, Kashmir, Dagshai, and Simla: restricted to Kashmir by Stresemann 1916)
  – Eastern Afghanistan and western and northern Pakistan east along Himalayas to southern Tibet and northern Nepal.
• Identification :
  – Subspecies intermedius is large (bill 54–73 mm) and dull grayish black in color, with the bill somewhat slimmer, and has whitish bases of neck feathers.
• Corvus macrorhynchos macrorhynchos (Wagler, 1827, 'Nova Hollandia, Nova Guinea et in insulis Sumatra et Java' [= Java])
  – Central and southern Malay Peninsula and the Sundas east to Romang and Sermata.

    EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

    Large-billed Crow (Indian Jungle) Corvus macrorhynchos culminatus

• Corvus macrorhynchos culminatus (Sykes, 1832, Deccan [= Poona, Bombay, according to Whistler and Kinnear 1932)
  – Peninsular India, southwest Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
• Identification :
  – Subspecies culminatus is small and rather glossy black, with a slimmer bill than other subspecies (bill 52–67 mm).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

    EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

    Large-billed Crow (Eastern) Corvus macrorhynchos levaillantii

• Corvus macrorhynchos levaillantii (Lesson, 1831, Bengal)
  – Southeast Nepal, Bangladesh, northeast India, Andaman Islands, Myanmar, and Thailand east to central and southern Indochina and south to northern Malay Peninsula.
• Identification :
  – Subspecies levaillantii is wholly glossy black, with the bases of the neck feathers dusky gray and the bill 61–69 mm, rather deeper than in culminatus.

Distribution Map

Corvus macrorhynchos ssp. macrorhynchos

Date : 07 October 2023
Location : Ulu Dedap Paddyfield, Daerah Perak Tengah, Perak

Corvus macrorhynchos ssp. macrorhynchos

Date : 10 March 2019
Location : Seberang Perak Paddyfield, Daerah Perak Tengah, Perak

Corvus macrorhynchos ssp. macrorhynchos

Date : 28 December 2016
Location : Batu Gajah Ex-Mining Pond, Daerah Kinta, Perak

Corvus macrorhynchos ssp. macrorhynchos

Date : 16 October 2016
Location : Taman Negara Pahang (Sungai Relau), Merapoh, Daerah Lipis, Pahang