Animalia Life

Corvus monedula
SUBFAMILY
Corvinae
TAXONOMY
Corvus monedula Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden. Four subspecies usually recognized.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Choucas des tours; German: Dohle; Spanish: Grajilla Comъn.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
13.26–15.21 in (34–39 cm); 4.86–9.27 oz (139–265 g). Upperparts are grayish black with a slight bluish gloss. Head has a black forecrown and dark gray rear crown, nape, and sides. Wings and tail are black and glossy. Underparts are grayish black. The short bill is black, as are the legs and feet.
DISTRIBUTION
Europe, western Asia, North Africa.
HABITAT
Wide variety of open country with trees, including areas of human habitation.
BEHAVIOR
Sociable groups frequently engage in agile, tumbling flight display, giving loud calls.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Mainly granivorous, except during breeding season when it takes moth caterpillars from tree foliage.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Semicolonial. Stick nests built in tree holes, cliff faces, or artificial structures. Generally four eggs April through May. Incubation 17–19 days; fledging about 30 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Abundant; appears to be spreading broadly north and eastward.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Regularly nests in chimneys of inhabited buildings.

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