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Hooded Crows Favoured London Plane, Poplars and Pines for Nests in Zagreb

Hooded crow sitting on its nest
Research · Ecology

Hooded crows (Corvus corone cornix) showed clear nesting preferences in Zagreb, Croatia, in a study published on 15 July 2026. The researchers mapped 729 active nests between 2022 and 2024 across 84.6 km² of the city and examined how nest distribution related to tree characteristics and the surrounding urban landscape.

Average nest density was 8.62 breeding pairs per km², but it varied strongly among parts of Zagreb, from 0.8 to 28.3 pairs per km². The highest densities were recorded south of the Sava River, near the city landfill, where built-up areas, grassland and tree cover were abundant and interspersed rather than forming large homogeneous blocks.

The crows used a broad range of nesting trees: active nests were found in 43 tree species and three subspecies. Even so, use was not random. The analyses showed preferences for London plane (Platanus × acerifolia), poplars (Populus spp.) and pines (Pinus spp.), together with trees 11–20 metres tall.

The results show that both nest-tree characteristics and the wider urban landscape were associated with where hooded crows nested. The authors say the findings contribute to understanding how urbanisation influences avian nesting behaviour and could inform future urban planning and management.

Sources and image credit

  1. Nesting ecology of urban hooded crows (Corvus cornix): tree and nesting site preferencesPeer-reviewed primary study in European Journal of Wildlife Research, published 15 July 2026. The publisher abstract and article preview report 729 active nests across 84.6 km² of Zagreb, nest-density variation, habitat patterns and preferences for London plane, poplars, pines and trees 11–20 m tall.
  2. Zagrebačke vrane u znanstvenom časopisu European Journal of Wildlife ResearchAssociation Biom summary of the study, confirming the main Zagreb results and tree preferences.

Image: Аимаина хикари — hooded crow (Corvus cornix) on its nest in Kyiv, Ukraine; Wikimedia Commons. Representative nesting image; not a bird from the Zagreb study. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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