White-necked Raven

White-necked Raven

Description

The White-necked Raven (Corvus albicollis) is a large, robust corvid roughly 50–56 cm long, with glossy black plumage showing a faint purple sheen. Its most striking feature is a bold patch of white feathers on the nape, which gives the bird its name. It has a short, wedge-shaped tail and a powerful, slightly curved black bill tipped in ivory-white.

Habitat

This raven lives in eastern and southern Africa, favouring open, mountainous country, rocky cliffs, montane grasslands and river gorges. It is often seen around small towns and villages near the mountains, and typically nests on cliff ledges.

Diet

An adaptable omnivore, it feeds on almost anything it can find: insects, small mammals, reptiles, eggs and nestlings, carrion, fruit, seeds and human food scraps. It usually forages on the ground and readily scavenges around people.

Reproduction

Pairs are monogamous and long-lasting. The female lays a clutch of about 3–5 eggs in a bulky stick nest lined with grass, hair and wool, and incubation lasts roughly three weeks. The chicks stay in the nest for several weeks and continue to be fed by their parents well after fledging.

Lifespan

In the wild these ravens typically live around 10–15 years, while birds in human care can reach 20 years or more.

Did you know?

Like many corvids, the White-necked Raven is remarkably clever — it has been recorded dropping tortoises from a height onto rocks to crack their shells, returning again and again to the same 'anvil' sites.