Innocent until proven guilty: the case of the pied crow
THE IMPACT OF INCREASING NUMBERS OF PIED CROWS ON BIODIVERSITY AND WHAT ROLE THEY WILL PLAY IN NEWLY INHABITED ECOSYSTEMS IS UNKNOWN. IT IS CRITICAL FOR THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP TO BE FILLED BEFORE IMPULSIVE ACTIONS ARE TAKEN
The indigenous pied crow (Corvus albus) with its bold black-and-white plumage is commonly seen in South Africa. Research shows an increase in their numbers and range, and pied crows are now seen in Skukuza, Kruger National Park, where they did not historically occur.
Increasing numbers and range expansion into new environments have been attributed to climate change in conjunction with anthropogenic factors, including the availability of nest sites on expanding electrical infrastructure and increased food availability from frequent access to human waste and road kills. But how do pied crows impact biodiversity when they move into new areas, and what role do they play in those newly inhabited ecosystems? They certainly have the potential to impact a variety of local species negatively, including tortoises and many indigenous birds as well as livestock. However, sufficient empirical evidence to support the notion of “guilty-as-charged” is lacking and acting on uniformed conclusions could result in collateral damages more detrimental than the impact of the crows themselves. Closing the knowledge gap around Pied Crow biology and determining its status in Kruger by documenting inter-specific behaviors and monitoring their feeding and breeding biology, is therefore an emergent priority for Scientific Services.
Art: Sharon Thompson
This article was originally published in the 2022/2023 Research Report.
