Bird guide · Corvus corone
Carrion Crow
What the carrion crow eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from across the UK.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 18.1 in (46 cm)
- Eats
- scraps, seeds, fruit
- Feeds
- tray/platform (bird table)
- Most common
- Scotland, Wales, England
Food
What do carrion crows eat?
At feeders, carrion crows take scraps, seeds, fruit.
Makes nervous hit-and-run raids on open bird tables, returning once it learns it is safe.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do carrion crows live?
Widespread except northern and western Scotland, where the Hooded Crow replaces it. By share of all bird sightings, carrion crows are most common in Scotland (3.4%).
Nations where carrion crows are most common
- Scotland3.4%
- Wales3.3%
- England3.0%
- Northern Ireland0.1%
Share of all bird sightings in each nation that are carrion crows, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the carrion crow migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Share of all bird sightings in the UK that are carrion crows, by month.
Identification
How to identify the carrion crow
Adults: Big, glossy all-black crow with a large, blunt black beak.
Young birds: Similar to adults.
Size: 18.1 in (46 cm)
Easily confused with
- Hooded Crow – grey and black; north and west Scotland and Ireland
- Jackdaw – smaller, grey hood, pale eye
On camera
Getting the carrion crow on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Carrion Crow: questions
What do carrion crows eat?
At feeders, scraps, seeds, fruit.
Do carrion crows migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Where do carrion crows live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Scotland, Wales, England, Northern Ireland.
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