crow – Christian Sperka Photography

2023-10-31

Smart!

Crows and Ravens are some of the smartest creatures on earth. This is a Pied Crow (Corvus albus) which is quite common on Thanda.

They are an important member of the ‘bush cleanup crew’ (like Hyenas, Vultures, Jackals, Storks, Eagles, Maggots, and many more) scavenging on dead carcasses. But they also prey on eggs from other birds. I caught this specimen looking for ground-nesting Lapwings’ eggs.

Technical data: Canon R6 with EF lens f4.0/500mm | ISO 400 | 1/500sec | f4 | ev0 | 500mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 25% of original image

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2020-05-24

STAY-AT-HOME SUNDAY

This morning I had the perfect sighting to explain the members of the ‘bush cleanup crew’.

This important team is lead by Spotted Hyena and includes White-backed Vultures, Hooded Vultures, Black-Backes Jackals, Woolly-necked Storks and Pied Crows. I found all of them together in one sighting on the Thanda Safari savanna.

The Hyena was feeding on an Impala carcass and all the others tried to get bits and pieces as the Hyena dragged the animal remains around.

All of the creatures play a major role in keeping the bush tidy and clean.

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