Animal field guide
Large-billed Crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
The Large-billed Crow works the boundary between habitats — forest edge, farmland, shoreline, city. Its heavy arched bill opens carrion, cracks shellfish and tears into refuse, so very little it finds along those seams stays shut.
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Get AnimalDexLarge-billed Crow at a glance
Animal · Native range keys: east_asia · Relatively common
Known for: Large all-black crow, Steep forehead giving a distinctly domed head, Harsh flat caw, Walks confidently on the ground with a slight
Understand the animal
Understand the Large-billed Crow
Factual biology first: what this animal is like, where it lives, how it survives, and why those traits exist.
01
Introduction to Large-billed Crow
The Large-billed Crow works the boundary between habitats — forest edge, farmland, shoreline, city. Its heavy arched bill opens carrion, cracks shellfish and tears into refuse, so very little it finds along those seams stays shut.
How to identify a Large-billed Crow
Why Large-billed Crow are interesting
- The bill is the diagnostic feature: much deeper and more curved than that of the Carrion or House Crow, and strong enough to open shellfish and carrion.
- Urban birds in Japan have been recorded dropping walnuts onto pedestrian crossings and collecting the kernels when traffic stops.
- It readily displaces smaller crows at food and will harass raptors many times its weight.
- Populations have grown steeply alongside cities across Asia, in step with the amount of edible waste available.
- It is one of the most abundant large birds across much of Asia, from lowland coast to Himalayan forest.
02
Adaptations and biological abilities
03
Why does Large-billed Crow behave this way?
- Large all-black crow, 46-59 cm, with a deep arched bill
- Steep forehead giving a distinctly domed head profile
- Harsh flat caw, deeper and more grating than a smaller crow's
- Walks confidently on the ground with a slight swagger
Active by day, gathering into large communal roosts at dusk, often in city trees, and dispersing again at first light.
04
Why Native range keys: east_asia?
Habitat: Native range keys: east_asia, southeast_asia, south_asia, central_asia. Forest edge, farmland, coastline, temple grounds and dense city, from sea level to high mountain valleys. Nothing about it is specialised except the willingness to work wherever two habitats meet.
Native range: Native range keys: east_asia, southeast_asia, south_asia, central_asia. Forest edge, farmland, coastline, temple grounds and dense city, from sea level to high mountain valleys. Nothing about it is specialised except the willingness to work wherever two habitats meet.
Native range
Natural range, not this specific capture location.
Native range keys: east_asia, southeast_asia, south_asia, central_asia. Forest edge, farmland, coastline, temple grounds and dense city, from sea level to high mountain valleys. Nothing about it is specialised except the willingness to work wherever two habitats meet.
05
Why this diet?
Anything: carrion, eggs, nestlings, shellfish, fruit, grain, insects and human refuse. The bill is what makes that breadth real, since the food most competitors cannot open is the food most reliably still there.
06
Activity, rest, and lifespan
Active by day, gathering into large communal roosts at dusk, often in city trees, and dispersing again at first light.
Commonly fifteen to twenty years in the wild.
07
Large-billed Crow reproduction
Three to five eggs in a bulky stick nest in a tall tree or on a pylon. Both parents feed the young, and pairs defend a wide area around the nest aggressively.
Males and females look the same; males average slightly larger with a marginally heavier bill, which is not reliable in the field.
08
Predators, threats, and defense
09
Conservation and rarity
Rarity: Relatively common · 9/100. AnimalDex canonical rarity score: 9/100, maintained by the live indexed species profile.
- Observe from a respectful distance and avoid changing the animal's behavior.
- Do not block feeding, shelter, nesting, or travel routes.
- Use a live camera capture without handling or staging wildlife.
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Ask about its biology, behavior, abilities, survival strategy, symbolism, or what its strategy can teach you. Answers stay grounded in this species page.
Anonymous: 3/day. Signed-in: 10/day. Pro: 30/day fair use.
Compare
Compare the Large-billed Crow
Where to find them
Where to find Large-billed Crow
To find Large-billed Crow in the wild, focus on the exact habitat patches that match its body design and daily behavior, not just the broad country where it exists. You usually do better by working one good piece of habitat inside native range keys: east_asia, southeast_asia, south_asia, central_asia. Forest edge, farmland, coastline, temple grounds and dense city, from sea level to high mountain valleys. Nothing about it is specialised except the willingness to work wherever two habitats meet. than by covering too much ground.
- Forest edge, canopy gaps, fruiting trees, or shaded trails where cover and food meet
- Rocky slopes, ridge lines, cliff ledges, or open mountain meadows with a wide view
- Headlands, reef edges, island colonies, tidal channels, or productive coastal water
Animal field guide
Large-billed Crow
The Large-billed Crow works the boundary between habitats — forest edge, farmland, shoreline, city. Its heavy arched bill opens carrion, cracks shellfish and tears into refuse, so very little it finds along those seams stays shut.
Native range
Natural range, not this capture location
Native range keys: east_asia, southeast_asia, south_asia, central_asia. Forest edge, farmland, coastline, temple grounds and dense city, from sea level to high mountain valleys. Nothing about it is specialised except the willingness to work wherever two habitats meet.
Search near meAnimalDex stats
Dominance
44
Speed
56
Size
21
Intelligence
68
Rarity
9%
Total
198
Size scale
Scientific name
Corvus macrorhynchos
Category
Animal
Habitat
Native range keys: east_asia, southeast_asia, south_asia, central_asia. Forest edge, farmland, coastline, temple grounds and dense city, from sea level to high mountain valleys. Nothing about it is specialised except the willingness to work wherever two habitats meet.
Rarity
Relatively common · 9/100
Native range
Native range keys: east_asia, southeast_asia, south_asia, central_asia. Forest edge, farmland, coastline, temple grounds and dense city, from sea level to high mountain valleys. Nothing about it is specialised except the willingness to work wherever two habitats meet.
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