Crows (Corvidae)

Brown-necked Raven (Corvus ruficollis) - HBW 14, p. 637

French: Corbeau brun German: Wüstenrabe Spanish: Cuervo Desertícola
Other common names: Desert Raven

Taxonomy: Corvus ruficollis Lesson, 1831, Santiago, Cape Verde Islands.
Forms a superspecies with C. albus and C. edithae; often treated as conspecific with latter, but that is probably closer to C. albus (with which it regularly hybridizes). Isolated population on Socotra (consisting of birds of relatively large size) possibly worthy of subspecific status. Monotypic.

Distribution: Desert regions of C Asia, N Africa and Middle East: S & C Kazakhstan S in plains to Turkmenistan and probably SW Tajikistan; Cape Verde Is; from S Morocco, Algeria (except N) and S Tunisia S to Mauritania and N Senegal, E to Libya (except N), N Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, N Nigeria, C Chad, Egypt (including Sinai) and N & C Sudan; E Israel and W Jordan S throughout Arabian Peninsula, E through SE Syria, C & S Iraq and S & E Iran to SW Pakistan (Makran coast) and plains of N Afghanistan (probably also extreme SW Afghanistan, in Seistan); Socotra I (off NE Somalia).