Bald crows [1] ( lat. Picathartes ) - a genus of passerine birds of the monotypic family Picathartidae. Includes 2 species.
| Bald crows |
|
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Infrastructure : | Passerida |
| Family: | Picathartidae lowe , 1938 |
|
| International scientific name |
|---|
Picathartes lesson , 1828 |
| Kinds |
|---|
- Western Bald Crow Picathartes gymnocephalus (Temminck, 1825)
- Eastern Bald Crow Picathartes oreas Reichenow, 1899
|
|
Both species live in the rainforests of West and Central Africa. Western bald crow from Guinea and Sierra Leone to Togo. Eastern bald crow spread from southern Cameroon to northern Nigeria. In Ghana, the eastern bald crow is protected, as the population has declined sharply due to deforestation, bird catching for zoos or collectors.
The birds have long tails, a black beak, strong long legs and feet, and they are relatively large - from 38 to 40 centimeters. The plumage of a western bald raven from above is dark or light gray; white on the underside. The head is bare and yellow. Two black spots on each side of the back of the head are characteristic. In the eastern bald raven, the upper plumage is from dark to light gray; the underside is white. The head is naked, in front it is light blue, and in the back it is crimson. Also, the eastern bald crow has black spots on each side of the nape.
Bald crows feed on insects, mollusks and other invertebrates, which they catch by jumping along the forest canopy. Sometimes they also eat frogs and mice. During the hunt, they make jumps without the help of wings up to a meter high. Often they follow nomadic ants and eat insects frightened by them.
Birds nest in colonies. Cup-shaped nests are built of clay or mud and attached to the walls of rocky caves or to the slopes of rocks. Inside the nest is lined with plant fibers and herbs. In the clutch there are two eggs, the incubation of which lasts for 20-22 days.