# Samar crow

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Species of bird

Samar crow Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Genus: Corvus Species: C. samarensis Binomial name Corvus samarensis Steere, 1890 Synonyms Corvus enca samarensis Steere, 1890

The **Samar crow** (***Corvus samarensis***), formerly known as the **small crow**, is a [passerine](/source/Passerine) bird in the genus [*Corvus*](/source/Corvus_(genus)) of the family [Corvidae](/source/Corvidae). It is endemic to the islands of [Samar](/source/Samar) and [Mindanao](/source/Mindanao) in the [Philippines](/source/Philippines). However, it has not been recorded in Mindanao since the 1980s. Its natural [habitats](/source/Habitat) are [primary tropical moist lowland forest](/source/Subtropical_or_tropical_moist_lowland_forest). It is now extremely rare and likely endangered. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting.

## Description and taxonomy

The Samar crow is a small, short-tailed crow with bare facial skin and a distinctive whirring flight style. It is found in pristine primary forests. Its call is described as a high pitched squeal not typical for a crow.

It may be distinguished from the [Sierra Madre crow](/source/Sierra_Madre_crow) by its shorter and thinner bill, more intense black plumage, and darker gray feathers on the base of its neck. Its call is also described as lower pitched than that of the Sierra Madre crow.[1]

It was previously considered a subspecies of the [Slender-billed crow (now Sunda crow)](/source/Slender-billed_crow), but phylogenetic evidence proved that the slender-billed crow subspecies complex contained multiple distinct species. A split by the [International Ornithologists' Union](/source/International_Ornithologists'_Union) yielded a new species recognized as the small crow, which contained two subspecies - namely, the Samar crow, and the [Sierra Madre crow](/source/Sierra_Madre_crow). Shortly after, these 2 subspecies were themselves designated as distinct species.[2][3]

The species is [monotypic](/source/Monotypic): no [subspecies](/source/Subspecies) are recognised.[4] However, the population on Mindanao has not been recorded since the 1980s and may possibly be extinct. Due to a lack of records, it could possibly have represented a subspecies or even a distinct species. Though the lone recording of a Samar crow in Mindanao by Robert Kennedy demonstrated a lower pitched call compared to the other populations on Samar, there nonetheless remains a lack of evidence for its distinctiveness as a species or subspecies.[5]

## Ecology and behavior

This species is poorly studied and not much is known about its ecology. It is typically observed in pairs or small family groups. It is believed to be omnivorous and has been observed feeding with other birds in fruiting trees. It also feeds on insects, small lizards and roadkill.

Nothing is known about its breeding habits, but based on studies of the closely related [Sunda crow](/source/Sunda_crow) it is likely that it builds bulky masses of twigs on large trees. The average clutch size of the Sunda crow is 2 eggs and most of the incubation is done by the female.[6]

## Habitat and conservation status

It is found in tropical moist lowland forest, where it is extremely intolerant of any disturbance.

IUCN has yet to assess this bird, but due to its preference for pristine forest, general rarity, and lack of records in past decades in [Mindanao](/source/Mindanao), it is likely to be threatened. Deforestation through illegal logging and [slash-and-burn](/source/Slash-and-burn) agriculture continues across most of its remaining habitat. It is also believed to face [interspecific competition](/source/Interspecific_competition) from the [Philippine jungle crow](/source/Philippine_jungle_crow), which is more aggressive and adaptable to disturbed habitats.

The Samar crow occurs in only one protected area in the [Samar Island Natural Park](/source/Samar_Island_Natural_Park), but actual protection and enforcement from [illegal logging](/source/Illegal_logging) and hunting are lax.[7]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Allen, Desmond (2020). *Birds of the Philippines*. Lynx. pp. 258–259.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Species Updates – IOC World Bird List"](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/updates/species-updates/). Retrieved 2021-05-29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Allen, Desmond (2020). [*Birds of the Philippines*](http://worldcat.org/oclc/1286814135). Lynx Edicions. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-84-16728-32-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-84-16728-32-9). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1286814135](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1286814135).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ioc_4-0)** [Gill, Frank](/source/Frank_Gill_(ornithologist)); Donsker, David; [Rasmussen, Pamela](/source/Pamela_C._Rasmussen), eds. (August 2024). ["Crows, mudnesters, birds-of-paradise"](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/crows/). *IOC World Bird List Version 14.2*. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 15 September 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Allen, Desmond (August 21, 2024). ["Samar Crow Comments"](https://www.facebook.com/groups/birdwatchphilippinescommunity/posts/1501851553790526/). *Facebook*. IOC has already split Sierra Madre Crow from Samar Crow. But Samar Crow includes 'Mindanao Crow', a bird that is almost unknown to science and hasn't been recorded for decades. It may well be extinct.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Madge, Steve; Christie, David (2024). ["Samar Crow (Corvus samarensis), version 1.0"](https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/slbcro6/1.0/introduction). *Birds of the World*. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2173/bow.slbcro6.01](https://doi.org/10.2173%2Fbow.slbcro6.01). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2771-3105](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2771-3105).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** says, Lito Ijan (2012-02-01). ["ASK THE EXPERTS"](https://ebonph.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/ask-the-experts/). *eBON*. Retrieved 2024-08-28.

v t e Extant species of family Corvidae Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family Corvidae Choughs Pyrrhocorax Alpine chough (P. graculus) Red-billed chough (P. pyrrhocorax) Treepies Crypsirina Hooded treepie (C. cucullata) Black racket-tailed treepie (C. temia) Dendrocitta Andaman treepie (D. bayleyi) Bornean treepie (D. cinerascens) Grey treepie (D. formosae) Black-faced treepie (D. frontalis) White-bellied treepie (D. leucogastra) Sumatran treepie (D. occipitalis) Rufous treepie (D. vagabunda) Platysmurus Malayan black magpie (P. leucopterus) Bornean black magpie (P. aterrimus) Temnurus Ratchet-tailed treepie (T. temnurus) Oriental magpies Cissa Common green magpie (C. chinensis) Indochinese green magpie (C. hypoleuca) Bornean green magpie (C. jefferyi) Javan green magpie (C. thalassina) Urocissa Taiwan blue magpie (U. caerulea) Red-billed blue magpie (U. erythrorhyncha) Yellow-billed blue magpie (U. flavirostris) Sri Lanka blue magpie (U. ornata) White-winged magpie (U. whiteheadi) Old World jays Garrulus Eurasian jay (G. glandarius) Lanceolated jay (G. lanceolatus) Lidth's jay (G. lidthi) Podoces (Ground jays) Xinjiang ground jay (P. biddulphi) Mongolian ground jay (P. hendersoni) Turkestan ground jay (P. panderi) Iranian ground jay (P. pleskei) Ptilostomus Piapiac (P. afer) Stresemann's bushcrow Zavattariornis Stresemann's bushcrow (Z. stresemanni) Family Corvidae (continued) Nutcrackers Nucifraga Spotted nutcracker (N. caryocatactes) Clark's nutcracker (N. columbiana) Kashmir nutcracker (N. multipunctata) Holarctic magpies Pica Black-billed magpie (P. hudsonia) Yellow-billed magpie (P. nuttalli) Eurasian magpie (P. pica) Oriental magpie (P. serica) Maghreb magpie (P. mauritanica) Asir magpie (P. asirensis) Black-rumped magpie (P. bottanensis) True crows Corvus Australian and Melanesian species Little crow (C. bennetti) Australian raven (C. coronoides) Bismarck crow (C. insularis) Brown-headed crow (C. fuscicapillus) Bougainville crow (C. meeki) Little raven (C. mellori) New Caledonian crow (C. moneduloides) Torresian crow (C. orru) Forest raven (C. tasmanicus) Grey crow (C. tristis) Long-billed crow (C. validus) White-billed crow (C. woodfordi) Pacific island species Hawaiian crow (C. hawaiiensis) Mariana crow (C. kubaryi) Tropical Asian species Slender-billed crow (C. enca) Small crow (C. samarensis) Palawan crow (C. pusillus) Flores crow (C. florensis) Large-billed crow (C. macrorhynchos) Philippine jungle crow (C. philippinus) House crow (C. splendens) Collared crow (C. torquatus) Piping crow (C. typicus) Banggai crow (C. unicolor) Violet crow (C. violaceus) Eurasian and North African species Hooded crow (C. cornix) Carrion crow (C. corone) Rook (C. frugilegus) Fan-tailed raven (C. rhipidurus) Brown-necked raven (C. ruficollis) Holarctic species Common raven (C. corax) North and Central American species American crow (C. brachyrhynchos) Chihuahuan raven (C. cryptoleucus) Tamaulipas crow (C. imparatus) Jamaican crow (C. jamaicensis) White-necked crow (C. leucognaphalus) Cuban palm crow (C. minutus) Cuban crow (C. nasicus) Fish crow (C. ossifragus) Hispaniolan palm crow (C. palmarum) Sinaloa crow (C. sinaloae) Tropical African species White-necked raven (C. albicollis) Pied crow (C. albus) Cape crow (C. capensis) Thick-billed raven (C. crassirostris) Somali crow (C. edithae) Jackdaws Coloeus Daurian jackdaw (C. dauuricus) Western jackdaw (C. monedula) Family Corvidae (continued) Azure-winged magpies Cyanopica Iberian magpie (C. cooki) Azure-winged magpie (C. cyanus) Grey jays Perisoreus Canada jay (P. canadensis) Siberian jay (P. infaustus) Sichuan jay (P. internigrans) New World jays Aphelocoma (Scrub jays) California scrub jay (A. californica) Island scrub jay (A. insularis) Woodhouse's scrub jay (A. woodhouseii) Florida scrub jay (A. coerulescens) Transvolcanic jay (A. ultramarina) Unicolored jay (A. unicolor) Mexican jay (A. wollweberi) Calocitta (Magpie-jays) Black-throated magpie-jay (C. colliei) White-throated Magpie-jay (C. formosa) Cyanocitta (Crested jays) Blue jay (C. cristata) Steller's jay (C. stelleri) Cyanocorax Black-chested jay (C. affinis) Purplish-backed jay (C. beecheii) Azure jay (C. caeruleus) Cayenne jay (C. cayanus) Plush-crested jay (C. chrysops) Curl-crested jay (C. cristatellus) Purplish jay (C. cyanomelas) White-naped jay (C. cyanopogon) Tufted jay (C. dickeyi) Azure-naped jay (C. heilprini) Bushy-crested jay (C. melanocyaneus) Brown jay (C. morio) White-tailed jay (C. mystacalis) San Blas jay (C. sanblasianus) Violaceous jay (C. violaceus) Green jay (C. ynca) Yucatan jay (C. yucatanicus) Cyanolyca Silvery-throated jay (C. argentigula) Black-collared jay (C. armillata) Azure-hooded jay (C. cucullata) White-throated jay (C. mirabilis) Dwarf jay (C. nana) Beautiful jay (C. pulchra) Black-throated jay (C. pumilo) Turquoise jay (C. turcosa) White-collared jay (C. viridicyana) Gymnorhinus Pinyon jay (G. cyanocephalus)

Taxon identifiers Corvus samarensis Wikidata: Q40989090 Wikispecies: Corvus samarensis Avibase: 043895D6A3074E04 BOW: slbcro6 eBird: slbcro6 GBIF: 7589368

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Samar crow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samar_crow) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samar_crow?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.