Breeding birds: 260,000 pairs
Family: Crows, Jays, And Magpies
The hooded crow has pale grey body and black things, wings, tail, head, and bib. Its underparts are ash-grey with fine dark streaks.
It has a strong black bill, dark brown eyes, and dark grey legs and feet. Males and females resemble each other, although males are typically larger.
Juveniles have a duller appearance overall, with washed grey-brown plumage and more pronounced dark markings on the underparts. Their eyes are grey or blue, and the inside of the mouth is pinkish-red, in contrast to the grey found in adults.
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Hooded crows breed in colonies with nests spaced apart. Both male and female build the nest in tall trees, pylons or cliff edges and occasionally on the ground. It is cup-shaped and made from sticks, twigs and sometimes bones lined with heather and wool.
Hooded crows lay 4-5 pale blue eggs with dark spots. They are incubated by the female for 17-20 days and both parents feed the chicks which fledge between 3 and 5 weeks after hatching. They will not be independent for another 2-3 weeks and will live in the family group until the first winter.
Hooded crows are omnivorous and eat a varied diet of berries, insects, eggs of other birds and carrion.
Hooded crows can be found in north and west Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
Britain's Birds
RSPB Handbook Of British Birds
Collins Bird Guide
Although regarded as a separate species, hooded crows have been known to breed with carrion crows where their ranges cross.
