---
title: "Cape Crow"
description: "Corvus capensis — Birds. 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."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/cape-crow
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Cape Crow

> Corvus capensis — Birds. 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.

- Scientific name: *Corvus capensis*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `urban` (Towns & gardens)
- iNaturalist observations: 1814
- Wikidata: [Q1002590](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1002590)
- iNaturalist taxon: [8006](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/8006)

## Names

- en: Cape Crow
- de: Kapkrähe
- es: Cuervo de El Cabo
- fr: Corneille du Cap
- nl: Kaapse roek
- pt: Corvo-do-cabo
- pl: Wrona przylądkowa

## Countries with the most observations

ZA (1160), NA (308), KE (69), TZ (60), ET (57), BW (39), LS (10), AO (3)

## Summary

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.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_crow

## Photo

![Cape Crow](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/cape-crow/medium.jpg)

Photo: bdhimes · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/290416943

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/cape-crow?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).