Corvus

 Australian raven Corvus coronoides, photographed by Gary.

Belongs within: Corvidae.

The crows of the genus Corvus are large, predominantly black passerine birds. Crows are mostly generalist feeders, and are found in most parts of the world. The largest species (and the largest-bodied of all passerine birds) is the raven Corvus corax, which is found scattered throughout the Palaearctic region.

The phylogenetic analysis by Burleigh et al. (2015) also suggests that the nutcrackers Nucifraga are placed within the Corvus clade; these are two species found in the Holarctic region, patterned in contrasting dark and pale colours, with relatively long, slender and pointed bills. Their diet contains a high proportion of conifer seeds, which they also sequester in caches. The nutcrackers may be related to the western jackdaw Corvus monedula, a relatively small crow with a short bill and grey nape found in the western Palaearctic.

<==Corvus Linnaeus 1758G03 (see below for synonymy)
    |--+--+--C. dauuricusBKB15
    |  |  `--C. monedula Linnaeus 1758BKB15, M02 [incl. Pica pica major Jánossy 1972M02, C. moravicus Mlíkovský 1995M02]
    |  `--Nucifraga Brisson 1760BKB15, M02 [Nucifragidae]
    |       |--N. caryocatactes (Linnaeus 1758)M02 [=Corvus caryocatactesM02; incl. N. multipunctataG73]
    |       |--N. columbianaBKB15
    |       `--N. hemispilaV41
    `--+--+--C. frugilegus Linnaeus 1758BKB15, L58
       |  |    |--C. f. frugilegusVP89
       |  |    `--C. f. pastinatorVP89
       |  `--C. hawaiiensisJT12
       `--+--C. ossifragusBKB15
          `--+--+--+--C. brachyrhynchosBKB15
             |  |  `--C. caurinusBKB15
             |  `--+--C. cornix Linnaeus 1758BKB15, L58 [=C. corone cornixFP64]
             |     `--C. corone Linnaeus 1758BKB15, M02 (see below for synonymy)
             `--+--+--C. albicollisBKB15
                |  `--+--C. albusBKB15
                |     `--+--*C. corax Linnaeus 1758G03, BKB15, M02 (see below for synonymy)
                |        |    |--C. c. coraxSc05
                |        |    `--C. c. principalis Ridgway 1887 (see below for synonymy)Sc05
                |        `--C. cryptoleucusBKB15
                `--+--+--C. kubaryiJT12
                   |  |--C. macrorhynchosBKB15
                   |  `--C. splendensBKB15
                   |       |--C. s. splendensL81
                   |       |--C. s. insolensL81
                   |       `--C. s. protegatusL81
                   `--+--+--C. nasicusBKB15
                      |  `--C. orruBKB15
                      `--+--C. coronoides Vigors & Horsfield 1827BKB15, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
                         `--+--C. moriorum Forbes 1892 [=*Palaeocorax moriorum]G03
                            `--C. antipodum (Forbes 1893) [=Palaeocorax antipodum, C. moriorum antipodum]G03
                                 |--C. a. antipodumG03
                                 `--C. a. pycrafti Gill 2003G03
Corvus incertae sedis:
  C. bennetti North 1901 [incl. C. bennetti bonhoti Mathews 1912, C. cecilae marngli Mathews 1912]WS48
  C. benghalensis Linnaeus 1758L58
  C. caferScl66
  C. capensisJT12
  C. cecilae Mathews 1912WS48 (see below for synonymy)
  C. coerulescens Bosc 1795B95
  C. crassirostris Rüppell 1836St05
  C. cristatus Linnaeus 1758L58 [=Garrulus cristatusJ23]
  C. culminatusB66
  C. edithaeJT12
  C. encaJT12
  C. florensisJT12
  C. fuscicapillusJT12
  C. hungaricus Lambrecht 1916M02
  C. imparatusJT12
  C. infaustus Linnaeus 1758L58
  C. jamaicensisJT12
  C. larteti (Milne-Edwards 1871)JM14, M02 [=*Miocorax lartertiM02, *Miocorvus lartetiM02]
  C. leucognaphalusJT12
  C. levaillantiiJT12
  C. meekiJT12
  C. melloriG03
  C. minutusJT12 [=C. palmarum minutusMS55]
  C. moneduloidesG03
  C. palmarumJT12
  C. paradisi Linnaeus 1758L58
  C. pumilisSWK87
  C. rhipidurusJT12
  C. ruficollisJT12
  C. scapulatus [incl. C. madagascariensis]Sch66
  C. sinaloaeJT12
  C. tasmanicusJT12
    |--C. t. tasmanicusM03
    `--C. t. boreusM03
  C. torquatusJT12
  C. tristisJT12
  C. tropicusFP64
  C. typicusJT12
  C. unicolorJT12
  C. validusJT12
  C. woodfordiJT12

Corvus Linnaeus 1758G03 [incl. Gymnocorvus Lesson 1831B94, Miocorax Lambrecht 1933M02, Miocorvus Lambrecht 1933M02, Palaeocorax Forbes in Anon. 1892G03, Trypanocorax Bonaparte 1854B94; Gymnocorvidae, Trypanocoracidae]

Corvus cecilae Mathews 1912WS48 [=C. coronoides cecilaeWS48, C. orru cecilaeM03; incl. C. cecilae hartogi Mathews 1920WS48, C. cecilae probleema Mathews 1923WS48]

*Corvus corax Linnaeus 1758G03, BKB15, M02 [incl. C. corax antecorax Mourer-Chauviré 1975M02, C. fossilis Giebel 1847M02, C. pliocaenus janossyi Mourer-Chauviré 1975M02]

Corvus corax principalis Ridgway 1887 [incl. C. corax var. carnivorus Baird, Brewer & Ridgway 1874]Sc05

Corvus corone Linnaeus 1758BKB15, M02 [incl. C. betfianus Kretzoi 1962M02, C. cornix fossilis Giebel 1847 non C. fossilis Giebel 1847M02, Numenius pliocaenus Portis 1889M02, C. pliocaenusM02, C. praecorax Depéret 1892M02, C. simionescui Kessler 1979M02]

Corvus coronoides Vigors & Horsfield 1827BKB15, WS48 [incl. C. australisS13, C. coronoides perplexus Mathews 1912WS48]

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[B66] Beavan, R. C. 1866. Extracts from a letter addressed to the Secretary relating his trip to Zwagaben, and discovery of Nemorhaedus sumatrensis. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 2–4.

[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.

[B95] Bosc, C. 1795. Description de deux nouvelles espèces d’animaux. Bulletin de la Société Philomatique, a ses Correspondans 43–44: 1.

[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.

[FP64] Fisher, J., & R. T. Peterson. 1964. The World of Birds: A comprehensive guide to general ornithology. Macdonald: London.

[G73] Gauntlett, F. M. 1973. Notes on some Kashmir birds. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 69 (3): 591–615.

[G03] Gill, B. J. 2003. Osteometry and systematics of the extinct New Zealand ravens (Aves: Corvidae: Corvus). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 1 (1): 43–58.

[J23] James, E. 1823. Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819 and ’20, by order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, sec’y of war: under the command of Major Stephen H. Long. From the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the exploring party vol. 1. H. C. Carey & I. Lea: Philadelphia.

[JM14] Jarvis, E. D., S. Mirarab, A. J. Aberer, B. Li, P. Houde, C. Li, S. Y. W. Ho, B. C. Faircloth, B. Nabholz, J. T. Howard, A. Suh, C. C. Weber, R. R. de Fonseca, J. Li, F. Zhang, H. Li, L. Zhou, N. Narula, L. Liu, G. Ganapathy, B. Boussau, M. S. Bayzid, V. Zavidovych, S. Subramanian, T. Gabaldón, S. Capella-Gutiérrez, J. Huerta-Cepas, B. Rekepalli, K. Munch, M. Schierup, B. Lindow, W. C. Warren, D. Ray, R. E. Green, M. W. Bruford, X. Zhan, A. Dixon, S. Li, N. Li, Y. Huang, E. P. Derryberry, M. F. Bertelsen, F. H. Sheldon, R. T. Brumfield, C. V. Mello, P. V. Lovell, M. Wirthlin, M. P. Cruz Schneider, F. Prosdocimi, J. A. Samaniego, A. M. Vargas Velazquez, A. Alfaro-Núñez, P. F. Campos, B. Petersen, T. Sitcheritz-Ponten, A. Pas, T. Bailey, P. Scofield, M. Bunce, D. M. Lambert, Q. Zhou, P. Perelman, A. C. Driskell, B. Shapiro, Z. Xiong, Y. Zeng, S. Liu, Z. Li, B. Liu, K. Wu, J. Xiao, X. Yinqi, Q. Zheng, Y. Zhang, H. Yang, J. Wang, L. Smeds, F. E. Rheindt, M. Braun, J. Fjeldså, L. Orlando, F. K. Barker, K. A. Jønsson, W. Johnson, K.-P. Koepfli, S. O’Brien, D. Haussler, O. A. Ryder, C. Rahbek, E. Willerslev, G. R. Graves, T. C. Glenn, J. McCormack, D. Burt, H. Ellegren, P. Alström, S. V. Edwards, A. Stamatakis, D. P. Mindell, J. Cracraft, E. L. Braun, T. Warnow, W. Jun, M. T. P. Gilbert & G. Zhang. 2014. Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds. Science 346 (6215): 1320–1331.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[L81] Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Reed: Sydney.

[MS55] Mertens, R., & J. Steinbacher. 1955. Die im Senckenberg-Museum vorhandenen Arten ausgestorbener, aussterbender oder seltener Vögel. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36 (3–4): 241–265.

[M02] Mlíkovský, J. 2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World. Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press: Praha.

[M03] Morcombe, M. 2003. Field Guide to Australian Birds 2nd ed. Steve Parish Publishing.

[S13] Sarasin, F. 1913. Die Vögel Neu-Caledoniens und der Loyalty-Inseln. In: Sarasin, F., & J. Roux (eds) Nova Caledonia: Forschungen in Neu-Caledonian und auf den Loyalty-Inseln. A. Zoologie vol. 1 Heft I pp. 1–78, pl. 1–3. C. W. Kreidels Verlag: Wiesbaden.

[Sc05] Schalow, H. 1905. Die Vögel der Arktis. In: Römer, F., & F. Schaudinn (eds) Fauna Arctica. Eine Zusammenstellun der arktischen Tierformen, mit besonder Berücksichtigung des Spitzbergen-Gebietes auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Deutschen Expedition in das Nördliche Eismeer im Jahre 1898 vol. 4 pp. 79–288. Gustav Fischer: Jena.

[Sch66] Schlegel, H. 1866. Communication from, on mammals and birds collected in Madagascar. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 419–426.

[Scl66] Sclater, P. L. 1866. Report on birds collected at Windvogelberg, South Africa, by Capt. G. E. Bulger, C. M. Z. S. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 21–23.

[SWK87] Snyder, N. F. R., J. W. Wiley & C. B. Kepler. 1987. The Parrots of Luquillo: Natural history and conservation of the Puerto Rican parrot. Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology: Los Angeles.

[St05] Steinheimer, F. D. 2005. Eduard Rüppel’s avian types at the Natural History Museum, Tring (Aves). Senckenbergiana Biologica 85 (2): 233–264.

[V41] Vigne, G. T. 1841. Relating to a collection of birds formed in Thibet and Cashmere. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 9: 6–7.

[VP89] Viney, C., & K. Phillipps. 1989. Birds of Hong Kong 5th ed. Government Printer: Hong Kong.

[WS48] Whittell, H. M., & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1–126.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *