🐦⬛
Bird✓ Protected species
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone / Corvus cornix
✓What to do NOW
- 1Corvids are very intelligent and defensive: approach with slow, calm movements
- 2Wear gloves — the crow's beak is powerful and accurate
- 3Pick up by covering with a blanket or towel and wrapping the wings against the body
- 4Place in a large dark box with ventilation holes
- 5If it is a young fledgling (July–August): observe from a distance whether the parents are nearby before intervening
- 6Contact the CRAS
✗NEVER do this
- ✗Do not pick up young birds hopping on the ground if the parents are present — they are still being fed
- ✗Do not put with unfamiliar birds
- ✗Do not give bread, food scraps, or kitchen leftovers — inappropriate diet
- ✗Do not attempt to hand-rear without CRAS support: imprinting in corvids is difficult to manage
⚠ Important note
The hooded crow (Corvus cornix) is the most common Italian species. Young birds fall from the nest in summer and appear "abandoned" — almost always they are not: the family is present and still feeding them while they learn to fly. Before picking up a young corvid, observe from a distance for at least 1–2 hours.
⚖ Legal protection
Protected by the Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) and Law 157/1992.
Also known as
hooded crowcarrion crowgrey crowjackdawravenchough
Similar animals
🐦⬛
Full guide
Found a crow on the ground? Read this before picking it up
In spring, young corvids leave the nest before they can fly properly. They usually don't need rescuing. A guide to telling a healthy fledgling from one in genuine trouble — and what to do in each case.
Read the guide →Did you find a carrion crow right now?
🆘 Find the nearest rescue centre →