Described as a small and short tailed crow with bare facial skin and a distinctive whirring flight style found in pristine primary forests. Its call is described as a high pitched squeals not typical for a crow.
It is very similar to the Sierra Madre crow but it has a shorter and thinner bill, more intense black plumage and darker gray feathers on the base of its neck. It also differs in voice which is described as lower pitched and less squealing buzzing notes in comparison to the Sierra Madre crow. [1]
It was previously considered a subspecies of the Slender-billed crow (now Sunda crow), but phylogenetic evidence proved that the enter slender-billed crow species complex had multiple species and was split by the International Ornithologists' Union. This new species was recognized as the small crow, which contained two subspecies namely the Samar crow and the Sierra Madre crow, shortly after, these 2 subspecies were designated as their own distinct species. [2][3]
The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[4] However, the Samar crows on Mindanao have not been recorded since the 1980s and may possibly be extinct. Due to a lack of records, this could possibly have represented a subspecies or even distinct species. The lone recording of a Samar crow in Mindanao by Robert Kennedy revealed a lower pitched call compared to the Samar crows on Samar but as this is just a single recording and there have not been any records in almost 50 years, its distinctiveness as a species or subspecies cannot be proven.[5]
Ecology and behavior
This species is poorly studied and not much is known about its ecology. It is typically observed in pairs or small family groups. Its believed to be omnivorous and has been observed feeding with other birds in fruiting trees. It also feeds on insects, small lizards and roadkill.
Nothing is known about its breeding habits but based on the studies of the closely related Sunda crow it is likely that it builds a bulky mass of twigs on a large tree. Average clutch size of the Sunda crow is 2 eggs and most of the incubation is done by the female.[6]
Habitat and conservation status
It is found in tropical moist lowland forest where it is extremely intolerant of any disturbance.
IUCN has yet to assess this bird but due to their preference for pristine forest, general rarity and lack of records in the past decades in Mindanao it is safe to assume that this bird is threatened. Deforestation through illegal logging and slash-and-burn continues across most of its remaining habitat. It is also believed to face interspecific competition from Large-billed crow which is more aggressive and adaptable to disturbed habitats.
^Allen, Desmond (August 21, 2024). "Samar Crow Comments". Facebook. IOC has already split Sierra Madre Crow from Samar Crow. But Samar Crow includes 'Mindanao Crow', a bird that is almost unknown to science and hasn't been recorded for decades. It may well be extinct.
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