Carrion crow Corvus corone corone

Notorious all-black egg-thief

Habitat: anywhere with a large tree suitable for a nest

Widespread and common resident

All black with a heavy bill; 45–49 cm

Most of the year solitary or in pairs, but gather in family parties in summer and in roosting flocks in winter

Feeds on insects, grain, worms, eggs and young of other birds, carrion, fruit and seeds, and sometimes small mammals

Bulky nest of twigs lined with grass and dead leaves, usually high in a tree

1 brood April to May; 3–5 blue-green eggs, speckled brown

Once paired, birds stay together for life