Hispaniolan Palm-Crow
Corvus palmarum
Endemic to Hispaniola. A large, all-black, gregarious species of pine woodlands, scrub, and palm savannahs; often found in flocks of up to fifty birds. Note this species’ relatively short, stout bill with extensive feathering on top. Compare with White-necked Crow, which has longer bill with less extensive feathering on top. Additionally, White-necked is a bit larger and has red (not dark) eyes. Vocalizations are predominantly a flat, harsh “raaah,” which is rather different from any of the various calls of White-necked Crow.
Identification
Endemic to Hispaniola. A large, all-black, gregarious species of pine woodlands, scrub, and palm savannahs; often found in flocks of up to fifty birds. Note this species’ relatively short, stout bill with extensive feathering on top. Compare with White-necked Crow, which has longer bill with less extensive feathering on top. Additionally, White-necked is a bit larger and has red (not dark) eyes. Vocalizations are predominantly a flat, harsh “raaah,” which is rather different from any of the various calls of White-necked Crow.
Taxonomy
The Hispaniolan palm crow was formally described in 1835 under the binomial name Corvus palmarum by the German naturalist Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. This crow was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Cuban palm crow (Corvus minutus).<p>Despite being sympatric with the white-necked crow (Corvus leucognaphalus) on Hispaniola, it appears to be more closely related to the fish crow (C. ossifragus) of the East Coast of the United States, as well as two smaller species, the Tamaulipas crow (C. imparatus) and Sinaloan crow (C. sinaloae) of Mexico, than the white-necked crow, which is more related to the Cuban crow (Corvus nasicus) and the Jamaican crow (Corvus jamaicensis), the other two Caribbean corvids.<p>The following cladogram is based on phylogenetic study of the Corvidae by Knud Jønsson and collaborators that was published in 2012.<p>The species was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Cuban palm crow (Corvus minutus).
- Scientific name
- Corvus palmarum
- Authority
- Württemberg, 1835
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Corvus
Range and habitat
The local name for the palm crow is cao in the Dominican Republic (where it is locally common, mainly in mountain pine forests and also around the area of Lake Enriquillo), which is onomatopoeic of the simple and repetitive call of this bird.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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