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Australia is home to three species of crows: the Little Crow, the Torresian Crow, and the Forest Crow. The Little Crow is found across most of Western Australia, except in the very far north and south-west of the state. The Torresian Crow is common in the northern half of Australia and is usually seen north of Newcastle, New South Wales. It is also found in rainforests, open forests, woodlands, scrublands, beaches, and dry areas. The Forest Crow is found in the wetter forests of Tasmania.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of crow species in Australia | 3 |
| Common species | Torresian Crow, Little Crow, Australian Raven |
| Australian Raven habitat | Eastern, southern, and central Australia, excluding arid areas of Western Australia |
| Little Crow habitat | Across Western Australia, excluding the far north |
| Torresian Crow habitat | Northern Australia, rainforest fringes, open forests, woodlands, scrublands, beaches, dry areas, watercourses, farms, croplands |
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What You'll Learn
The Torresian Crow is found in the northern half of Australia
The Torresian Crow, also known as the Australian Crow or Papuan Crow, is a large, glossy black bird native to the northern and western regions of Australia. Its scientific name is 'Corvus orru', and it was first described by French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850.
The Torresian Crow has a broad distribution across Australia, particularly in the tropical north, where it is found in various habitats, including coastal towns, rainforests, woodlands, farms, and croplands. It is well-adapted to fringe habitats and is commonly seen in cities and agricultural areas. The species requires a permanent water source and is often observed near water sources or in areas with high rainfall.
The Torresian Crow is an opportunistic and omnivorous species with a diverse diet. In urban areas, they feed on anthropogenic food sources, while in natural habitats, they consume invertebrates, berries, and carrion. They are known to be pests to farmers as they damage crops such as sweetcorn, peanuts, wheat, and fruit.
The Torresian Crow typically builds its nest in the tops of tall eucalypt trees, providing shade for the birds. Many also choose to build nests on artificial structures, such as power poles, pylons, or windmills. They form monogamous breeding pairs and maintain permanent territories.
The Torresian Crow is a highly adaptable species that has benefited from the expansion of agricultural activities and urbanisation in Australia. Its population has been increasing, and it is now found in many of Australia's largest cities and rural areas across the country.
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The Little Crow is found across Western Australia
The Little Crow is the smallest of the Australian crows and ravens. It is found across mainland Australia, west of the Great Divide, including South Australia and most of Western Australia. Little Crows are rarely found in the far north of Australia or in Tasmania. They are highly mobile and nomadic, except during breeding seasons when they defend small territories around their nest-trees.
Little Crows are gregarious and are usually found in flocks of 5-100 birds, but sometimes in larger flocks of hundreds or even thousands. They are rarely seen in pairs, singly, or in small family groups. They are often attracted to human-created food sources such as farmland, town garbage, campsites, and schoolyards. They are also found in dry open woodlands, especially in Mulga and other acacia scrubs. They are also known to forage around human activities where food is available, including towns, homesteads, rubbish tips, and roadsides, taking food scraps, road-kills, and other carrion.
Little Crows can breed whenever conditions are suitable, often after heavy rain. Their nests are made of small sticks and mud, lined with bark, feathers, leaves, or fur. The nests are usually built in an upright, multi-pronged fork at or near the top of a tree, usually among foliage but occasionally in a dead tree. Nestlings and fledglings are fed by both parents.
Little Crows are widely considered a pest of the sheep industry, especially during lambing season, as they are known to take eggs from fowl yards and sometimes eat commercial grain crops. However, they are also useful to farmers and pastoralists because they eat large numbers of grasshoppers, blowflies, and other insect pests or their larvae.
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The Australian Raven is found in eastern, southern and central Australia
The Australian Raven is found in eastern, southern, and central Australia. It is common in eastern Australia, southern Western Australia, and central Queensland. The Australian Raven is also found on some offshore islands, such as Rottnest Island and Kangaroo Island.
The Australian Raven is the most common urban corvid in Sydney, Canberra, and Perth. It is also found in Tasmania, where it is the only corvid. The species is sometimes called a crow and is usually seen in pairs.
The Australian Raven is a highly adaptable species and can be found in a wide range of habitats, including wetland, coastal, heathland, forest, woodland, and rainforest. However, they are not found in the more arid areas of Western Australia and the wet tropics of Queensland.
Australian Ravens are black with white eyes in adults. They have longer throat feathers (hackles) than other species, which they extend when calling while holding their head and body in a horizontal position. They construct large untidy nests made of sticks, grasses, bark, and feathers. Both sexes construct the nest and feed the young, but only the female incubates the eggs.
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The Forest Raven is found in Tasmania
The Forest Raven is one of three species of raven found in Australia, the other two being the Australian Raven and the Little Raven. The Australian Raven is found in eastern, southern, and central Australia, while the Little Raven is found across almost all of Western Australia, except for the very far north.
The Forest Raven is an omnivore, feeding on a wide variety of plant and animal material, as well as food waste from urban areas and
The Forest Raven breeds in spring and summer, with breeding occurring later in Tasmania than in New South Wales. The nest is a bowl-shaped structure of sticks sited high in a tree, and pairs generally bond for life, establishing permanent territories.
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Little Ravens are found in Victoria
Little Ravens are one of three species of raven found in Australia, the other two being the Australian Raven and the Forest Raven. Little Ravens are also one of two native species of crow in the country, the other being the Torresian Crow. The Little Crow is common in outback towns.
Little Ravens can be distinguished from Australian Ravens by their calls, with the Little Raven producing a much quicker, clipped call, along the lines of 'ok-ok-ok'. The Australian Raven, meanwhile, has a longer, drawn-out call, described as 'aairk, aark, aaarh, aargagh'. The Little Raven's call is also similar to that of the Forest Raven, though the latter's call is described as having a 'harsher tone'.
Little Ravens also differ from Australian Ravens in their preferred habitats. In areas where the two species co-occur, such as in central New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, Australian Ravens are found in more forested areas, while Little Ravens prefer more open spaces. Little Ravens are also found in large flocks, whereas Australian Ravens are more often solitary or found in pairs, though they can be seen in flocks of up to 50 birds.
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Frequently asked questions
There are two native species of crows in Australia: the Little Crow and the Torresian Crow. The Torresian Crow is common in the northern half of Australia and can be found in rainforests, open forests, woodlands, scrublands, beaches, dry areas, farms, and croplands. The Little Crow is common in outback towns and can be found across almost all of Western Australia, except for the very far north and the south-west.
The Little Crow is noticeably smaller than the Torresian Crow, but this is only obvious when the two birds are together. Crows have white feather bases, while ravens have grey ones.
Ravens are generally bigger than crows, but the most reliable ways to tell them apart are by their range and their calls. The Australian Raven has a distinctive, long and drawn-out call: 'aairk, aark, aaarh, aargagh'. The Little Raven has a much quicker, clipped call: 'ok-ok-ok'.
