Brown-necked Raven (Corvus ruficollis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Brown-necked Raven

Corvus ruficollis Lesson, RP, 1831

52–56 cmLength574 gWeight

The brown-necked raven (Corvus ruficollis) is a larger bird (52–56 cm in length) than the carrion crow though not as large as the common raven.

Busiest months: March–April · Most records: United Arab Emirates, Israel, Morocco

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Brown-necked Raven has been recorded at 109 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 23 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Private estate near Green MubazzarahUnited Arab Emirates1,484 records
  2. Gabal el ZaytEgypt394 records
  3. Yeruham LakeIsrael391 records
More places
  1. Erg Chebbi – nordMorocco354 records
  2. Green MubazzarahUnited Arab Emirates354 records
  3. Eilat – KM20 Flamingo Pools 20Israel308 records
  4. Wamm FarmsUnited Arab Emirates238 records
  5. Al Marmoom DCR – Al Qudra PivotsUnited Arab Emirates215 records
  6. Erg Chebbi – MerzougaMorocco184 records
  7. Beer-Sheva Park==Israel138 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United Arab EmiratesIsraelMoroccoEgyptCape VerdeKazakhstanJordanWestern Sahara

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

It has similar proportions to the common raven but the bill is not so large or deep and the wings tend to be a little more pointed in profile. The head and throat are a distinct brownish-black giving the bird its English name, while the rest of the plumage is black glossed with purple, blue or purplish-blue. Like the common raven, thick-billed raven and white-necked raven, it is one of the larger raven species.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Brown-necked Raven?

The Brown-necked Raven is about 52–56 cm long and weighs around 574 g.

Where does the Brown-necked Raven live?

Its breeding range: Africa, Palearctic: northern, northeastern Africa, Socotra, Arabian Peninsula to Kazakhstan. It is most often recorded in United Arab Emirates, Israel and Morocco.

When is the best time to see the Brown-necked Raven?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March and April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Brown-necked Raven endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown-necked Raven as Least Concern.

What does the Brown-necked Raven eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Brown-necked Raven in?

It belongs to the family Crows, Jays (Corvidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
52–56 cm
Weight
574 g
Habitat
Desert
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
386 mm
Tail
192 mm
Bill
68 mm
Tarsus
66 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa, Palearctic: northern, northeastern Africa, Socotra, Arabian Peninsula to Kazakhstan

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Crows, Jays Corvidae
Genus
Corvus

Other birds in the genus Corvus

Brown-necked Raven

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Christoph Moning. ↗

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