Skip to content

Pied Crow and Common Raven Began a Mixed Breeding Attempt at Jbel Moussa

Wild pied crow perched beside a tree in Kakum National Park, Ghana
Conservation · Population & status

A pied crow (Corvus albus) and a common raven (Corvus corax) began a mixed-species breeding attempt at Jbel Moussa in northern Morocco in early 2026. The development was reported on 2 April by the Moroccan Association for the Protection of Birds and Wildlife (AMPOVIS), drawing on monitoring by the Centre de Documentation et de Recherche Ornithologique (CDRO).

The mixed pair had begun a breeding cycle

The pied crow had been seen repeatedly in the Jbel Moussa area in the company of the common raven since late 2025. According to the monitoring update, the pair began to settle and initiate a breeding cycle during the first part of 2026. At the time of the announcement, the outcome was not yet known, and observers were continuing to follow the nesting attempt.

The record comes at the northern edge of the pied crow’s recent occurrence in Morocco. The species is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, but individuals have been recorded in northern Morocco since 2015. Several birds have since been documented between Fnideq, Jbel Moussa and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, close to the Strait of Gibraltar.

Pied crows were also reported on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar in 2025. AMPOVIS notes that cargo ships may have facilitated some arrivals in the area, but also states that there is no evidence demonstrating how the birds reached the region. The breeding attempt therefore documents the species’ presence at the northern edge of Africa without establishing the route by which individual birds arrived.

No eggs, chicks or established breeding population were documented

The pairing with a common raven is especially unusual because the two birds belong to different species. The 2026 update documents the beginning of a mixed breeding cycle, but it did not report eggs, chicks or successful hybrid offspring. The event was being monitored to determine whether the pair would complete the nesting attempt.

Ornithological observers in Morocco are following the record because repeated pied crow observations and breeding behaviour around Jbel Moussa could become relevant to the species’ status near the Strait of Gibraltar. The available 2026 reports, however, describe a single mixed pair and do not establish a breeding population in northern Morocco.

Sources and image credit

  1. Association Marocaine de Protection des Oiseaux et de la Vie Sauvage (AMPOVIS). (2026, April 2). Une nouvelle espèce s’ajoute à la liste des oiseaux nicheurs à Jbel Moussa : le Corbeau pie (Corvus albus).First-hand AMPOVIS update, mirrored by FindGlocal, crediting CDRO monitoring at Jbel Moussa. It reports that the pied crow–common raven pair had begun a breeding cycle; outcome was still unknown.
  2. Ornithomedia. (2026, April 6). Tentative de nidification d’un couple mixte composé d’un Corbeau pie et d’un Grand Corbeau du côté marocain du détroit de Gibraltar en 2026.Secondary ornithological account citing CDRO and providing regional context for pied crow records around Fnideq, Jbel Moussa and Ceuta.

Image: Charles J. Sharp — wild pied crow in Kakum National Park, Ghana, photographed 10 April 2017; Wikimedia Commons Quality Image; representative image, not the Jbel Moussa bird · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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

Population & status

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Pied Crow Corvus albus Explore species Common Raven Corvus corax Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.