CreatureData

Cape crow

Corvus capensis M. H. C. Lichtenstein, 1823

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The cape crow (Corvus capensis) is a species in the family Corvidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 520 g to 612 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the cape crow

Weight
520 g – 612 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
4 – 4.2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the cape crow

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1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.

Where does the cape crow live?

Not recorded

What is the cape crow?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Cape crow or black crow (Corvus capensis) is slightly larger (48–50 cm in length) than the carrion crow and is completely black with a slight gloss of purple in its feathers. It also has proportionately longer legs, wings, and tail, and has a much longer, slimmer bill that seems to be adapted for probing into the ground for invertebrates. The head feathers have a coppery-purple gloss and the throat feathers are quite long and fluffed out in some calls and displays.

From the Wikipedia article “Cape crow” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_crow&oldid=1357276025), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the cape crow endangered?

The cape crow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the cape crow classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCorvidae
  6. genusCorvus
  7. SpeciesCorvus capensis M. H. C. Lichtenstein, 1823

Synonyms Corvus afer, Corvus capensis minor, Heterocorax capensis, Trypanocorax capensis

Other names and names in other languages (47)
  • Black crowEnglish
  • Black crowEnglish
  • CACREnglish
  • Cape rookEnglish
  • SwartkraaiAfrikaans
  • KoringlandkraaiAfrikaans
  • غراب أسودArabic
  • cornella del CapCatalan
  • vrána africkáCzech
  • brân y PenrhynWelsh
  • Afrikansk RågeDanish
  • KapkräheGerman
  • KabokorvoEsperanto
  • kaba korvoEsperanto
  • Cuervo de El CaboSpanish
  • aafrika künnivaresEstonian
  • afrikanmustavarisFinnish
  • Corbeau du CapFrench
  • Corneille du CapFrench
  • Caróg na rinneIrish
  • oštrokljuna vranaCroatian
  • fokföldi varjúHungarian
  • BrellikrákaIcelandic
  • Corvo del CapoItalian
  • ツルハシガラスJapanese
  • kapinė varnaLithuanian
  • Naakaii Łizhiní Bikéyahdę́ę́ʼ gáagiiNavajo
  • Kaapse RoekDutch
  • smalnebbkråkeNorwegian
  • wrona przylądkowaPolish
  • Corvo-do-caboPortuguese
  • gralha-do-caboPortuguese
  • Капский воронRussian
  • Африканский грачRussian
  • vrana štíhlozobáSlovak
  • Afrički gačacSerbian
  • kapråkaSwedish
  • Kap KargasıTurkish
  • Güney Afrika KargasıTurkish
  • legakabeTswana
  • legakabe le lentshoTswana
  • lehukubuTswana
  • mofukubuTswana
  • ворона капськаUkrainian
  • 南非鴉Chinese
  • 海角鴉Chinese
  • 海角鸦Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the cape crow

Other species in the same genus Corvus.

LC, Least Concern
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

Rook

Corvus frugilegus

Corvidae

LC, Least Concern
House crow (Corvus splendens)

House crow

Corvus splendens

Corvidae

LC, Least Concern
Pied crow (Corvus albus)

Pied crow

Corvus albus

Corvidae

CompareCape crow vs Common ravenCape crow vs RookCape crow vs Hooded crowCape crow vs Carrion crow

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the cape crow?

An adult cape crow weighs 520 g – 612 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the cape crow endangered?

The cape crow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the cape crow?

The cape crow (Corvus capensis) belongs to the family Corvidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cape crow (Corvus capensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-crow

MLA

“Cape crow (Corvus capensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-crow.

BibTeX
@misc{cape_crow_2026,
  title = {Cape crow (Corvus capensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-crow},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}