The hooded crow (Corvus cornix) is a Eurasian corvid known for its notably intelligent behavior and a taxonomy that long classified it as a subspecies of the all-black carrion crow (Corvus corone). It shows a striking two-tone plumage: an ashy-grey body contrasting with a glossy black head, throat, wings, and tail. It’s a highly adaptable, opportunistic omnivore, equally at home foraging in open farmland and along the coast as it is in urban and harbor settings, where it takes advantage of fishing scraps and human refuse.
Beyond its boldness in exploiting human resources or using pavement to crack open nuts and shellfish, it stands out for a complex social structure and a superior cognitive capacity that allows it to solve puzzles and recognize faces. The species has a very wide distribution, found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East, occupying open lowland and foothill habitats — forest edges, moorland, coastal cliffs, farmland, and human settlements. Its range extends from Ireland, Scotland, and Scandinavia eastward to western Siberia, and south to Italy, Egypt’s Nile Valley, and Iran. Most populations are resident, though birds from the northern edge of the range migrate south in winter.
Where its range overlaps with the all-black carrion crow, the two species hybridize along a narrow contact zone. This narrow hybridization belt produces fertile offspring and remains one of Europe’s most closely studied evolutionary phenomena.
• Κουρούνα (Kouroúna)
• Hooded crow
• Corneja cenicienta, Corneja encapuchada
Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus
Species: Corvus cornix
Aegina Port, Aegina, Greece
Camera: Canon EOS R7
Lens: Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary
Capture Information:
Focal Length: 600.0 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/8000
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 4000
Photo Taken: May 11, 2026
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