Corvus rhipidurus - Fan-tailed Raven
Feather characters. Barbules are rather short (0.88-0.97 mm). Pigment is absent or occasionally concentrated in nodes and parts (less than 50%) of internodes. Diamond-shaped nodes are equally distributed along the entire length of barbules (22-24 per mm). They are all about the same size, slightly decreasing towards distal end. Prongs are absent. Villi are rounded and internodes are occasionally kinked. Barbules have this typical structure for Passeriformes; enlarged nodes combined with rounded villi. Only the shape of nodes and internodes is different: nodes are diamond-shaped with kinked internodes.
Field characters. Size 50 cm. Weight 745 g (Dunning, 1993). All-black Crow-sized Raven, with broad wings, deep short bill, and characteristic short tail; on the ground, wing-tips distinctly extend beyond tail-tip. Juvenile duller than adult. Has habit of soaring on thermals, usually in large groups.
Voice. Gull-like 'pruk', higher pitched than Brown-necked Raven.
Distribution. Resident in south-east of W Palearctic and in NE Africa. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Breeds on crags and cliffs in arid (semi-)desert; often near human settlements, where rubbish tips are visited.
Food. Scavenges on human refuge; also takes invertebrates, fruits, and berries.