Hooded Crow
Corvus cornix
Gråkragen er en cirka 47 centimeter stor kragefugl, der yngler i det nordvestlige og centrale Europa og i Mellemøsten. Det er en almindelig ynglefugl i Danmark, hvor den findes både på landet og i byerne.
A crow the size of a Rook but with an ash-grey body contrasting with a black head, throat, breast, wings and tail; black bill and legs, flat crown.
Can be confused with
- Carrion Crow — Carrion Crow is entirely black with no grey — the grey body is the only field mark the Hooded Crow needs. The two hybridise where they meet.
- Rook — Rook is all black with a pointed bill and (in adults) a pale bare patch of skin at the bill base, a peaked crown and loose "trousers"; the Hooded Crow has a grey body, feathering to the bill base and a flat crown.
- Common Raven — Raven is much larger with a heavy bill, a wedge-shaped tail, shaggy throat feathers and a deep "kronk" — and is all black.
- Western Jackdaw — Jackdaw is clearly smaller with a pale eye and grey only on the nape — not over the whole body.
Plumage and variation
Male and female: Sexes alike — no visible difference in the field.
Juvenile: Juvenile is duller with a brownish tinge to the grey and less sharp contrast between the grey body and the black areas.
Voice
A hard, hoarse "krah krah krah", often in series of three.
Behaviour
Usually seen singly or in pairs, less colonial than the Rook; an omnivore that walks with a steady, measured gait, caches food and mobs raptors. Gathers in communal roosts in winter.
When and where
Very common throughout Denmark with c. 160,000 breeding pairs; mainly resident, but some move to western and south-western Europe in Oct/Nov and return Feb/April. Nordic migrants and winter visitors occur from late Sept to Dec.
Facts
Wingspan
98 cm
Relatives
Family
crows and jays
Corvidae
Order
passerines
Passeriformes
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