carrion crow

noun

: a uniformly black crow (Corvus corone corone) occurring in much of western Europe

Examples of carrion crow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Auke-Florian Hiemstra, the lead study author and a biologist researching animal architecture at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, and his co-researchers described four nests in the study — three by Eurasian magpies and one by a carrion crow — that used an abundance of anti-bird spikes. —Michael Lee Simpson, Peoplemag, 14 July 2023

Over the two years that followed, Mr. Hiemstra and his colleagues discovered several other nests, built by Eurasian magpies and carrion crows, that contained anti-bird spikes. —Emily Anthes, New York Times, 13 July 2023

But all crows have a large brain-to-body size ratio, which may explain the carrion crow's cosmopolitan success. —Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2012

Also known as a carrion crow, the large raptor measures 22 to 29 inches in length with a wingspan of roughly five feet. —Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sep. 2021

Or perhaps because owls often are attacked and harassed during the day by carrion crows, kestrels and other birds. —James Gorman, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2019

Researchers will train the birds to respond to visual cues, such as flashing lights, and then figure out whether hooded and carrion crows can detect different visual contrasts. —Quanta Magazine, 5 Aug. 2014

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined above