The grey crow (Corvus cornix or Corvus corone cornix) is treated differently by systematic ornithologists, some as a separate species, others as a subspecies, while some only as a color form of the black crow (Corvus corone). In any case, we will reliably distinguish this bird by the color of its plumage.
The grey crow has a two-tone, black and gray, plumage. Its head, throat, chest, and tail and wings are raven-black. The belly, flanks, nape, shoulders and back, however, are dirty gray. The grey crow is a fairly large bird; when stretched out it is about 47 cm long and thus in size somewhere between a rook and a jackdaw.
Grey crows are sociable birds and enjoy gathering in groups. Where more food is available, groups are larger; normally their flocks are not as large as magpies or rooks. The grey crow is an omnivore by day. Its menu is varied. It regularly includes insects, molluscs and other invertebrates, and in summer and autumn also fruits and seeds. Beyond that, it takes every opportunity and treats itself to something more nutritious; it likes fish, as well as eggs and chicks of other birds. In settlements it likes to rummage through human waste, where it always finds something edible.
This is an exceptionally intelligent bird that learns quickly. The grey crow can often be seen dropping a walnut from a height onto the road to crack its hard shell. In Finland they have even observed them pulling a fishing line through a hole in the ice with a caught fish.
The grey crow is a resident of open cultivated landscapes with scattered trees, where fields or meadows border hedgerows; it thrives near humans, and is therefore common in towns as well. In Slovenia it is a very common species, which nests in trees from March to June, but it can be seen all year round, as it does not migrate. In the northern part of its range winters are just too severe, so it retreats there to warmer places before the harsh frost.
