Long-billed Crow
Corvus validus
A distinctive crow with a strikingly long bill, noticeable even in flight. Adults have purple-glossed blackish plumage and a prominent pale eye. Juveniles are dark-eyed and lack gloss. Occurs in the canopy of any areas with trees, where it is typically seen in small, active, vociferous groups. Restricted to the north Moluccas. Noticeably longer-billed than local Torresian Crows. Gives high-pitched “krak-krak-krak” calls repeatedly and often.
Identification
The long-billed crow is a large crow growing from 45 to 53 cm (18 to 21 in) in length including its relatively short tail. The large bill tapers from a broad base and is black, as are the legs and feet. The plumage is glossy and entirely black. The call of this crow has been likened to the yapping of a puppy "cruk ... cruk ... cruk".<p>The long-billed crow can be differentiated from other crows by its large size and glossy plumage, its long beak and its white iris. The only other crow within its range is the Torresian crow (Corvus orru) which has a much smaller beak and inhabits more open areas rather than forests.
Taxonomy
Genus: Corvus; Family: Corvidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Corvus validus
- Authority
- Bonaparte, 1850
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Corvus
Range and habitat
The long-billed crow is endemic to the Maluku Islands, an archipelago within Indonesia. It is a forest-dwelling bird and is mainly found on the islands of Morotai, Obira, Kayoa, Kasiruta, Bacan and Halmahera.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Carola's Parotia
Parotia carolae
A fairly large, short-tailed bird of mid-montane forest canopy. Male is mainly black with white flanks, golden throat, bronzy-scaled chest, white stripe down the forehead and 6 antennalike feathers projecting from the back of the head. Note the yellow eye. Female is gray-brown above and strongly-barred below with a heavy white stripe above the eye. Male dances at a terrestrial court, where it gives one of the most elaborate displays in the bird world. Co-occurs with Lawes’s Parotia but Carola’s male has white flanks and female lacks a black head. One of many different vocalizations is a loud, quavering shriek.
Timor Bushchat
Saxicola gutturalis
A striking long-tailed flycatcher. Male is gleaming white below and black above with a bold white shoulder patch. Female is reddish-brown above with a conspicuous white eyebrow and a whitish underside. Singles and pairs occupy the canopy of forest, woodland, and savanna within lowlands and hills. Confined to Timor, Rote, and Semau islands. Both sexes differ from Pied Bushchat in being whitish below and significantly longer-tailed. Song comprises a sequence of staccato notes: “sweet-cherrrgrrr-wichu.” Also gives a soft, grating “tchuk.”
Olive Oropendola
Psarocolius bifasciatus
Large, dark oropendola of mature rainforest. Olive green with reddish brown wings and a bright yellow tail. Bill is black with colorful pink patch at the base and an orange tip. More likely to be found in mature upland forest than the similar Russet-backed Oropendola of open habitats. Nests colonially, building large hanging nests in the crowns of tall trees in the canopy.
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