White-billed Crow
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| White-billed Crow | ||||||||||||||
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| Corvus woodfordi (Ogilvie-Grant, 1887) |
The White-billed Crow, Corvus woodfordi, is a short and stocky forest bird (40-41 cm in length) with a short squared off tail and a relatively large head with a very distinctive deep and curved pale ivory coloured bill with a darker tip. The dark nasal bristles though not thick are quite apparent against the pale coloured bill. The bird overall is very glossy black with a greenish-purple gloss to the head and purple gloss to the rest of the body. The iris is pale grey or white in the adult bird and the legs and feet are black.
This species is confined to the central part of the Solomon Islands and can be found specifically on the islands of Choiseul, Isabel and Guadalcanal where is forages in small family groups through the trees feeding on various insects and fruits. It is normally difficult to view as it often remains well hidden in the high forest canopy while feeding and even flying low, just over the tops of the trees when moving on.
Like many of these forest crows, there is little, if any information on the species as far as breeding goes.
The voice is described as being reminiscent of the Torresian Crow but higher in pitch and faster giving an "ao-ao-ao" sound.