Brown-necked Raven

Brown-necked Raven

Corvus ruficollis

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Cairo

In 3 days ~10%

6 Verified sightings at Cairo
March Best month

About the Brown-necked Raven

The brown-necked raven (Corvus ruficollis) is a larger bird (52–56 cm in length) than the carrion crow though not as large as the common raven. It has similar proportions to the common raven but the bill is not so large or deep and the wings tend to be a little more pointed in profile. The head and throat are a distinct brownish-black giving the bird its English name, while the rest of the plumage is black glossed with purple, blue or purplish-blue. Like the common raven, thick-billed raven and white-necked raven, it is one of the larger raven species. The feathers of this species often fade quite quickly to a brownish black (even the truly black feathers) and the bird can look distinctly brown by the time it moults. The feet, legs and bill are black. The dwarf raven was formerly considered a subspecies (Corvus ruficollis edithae) but this bird now appears to be closer to the pied crow (C. albus) than this species.

This species has a wide range across virtually the whole of North Africa, down as far as Kenya, the Arabian Peninsula and up into the Greater Middle East and southern Iran. It lives in a predominantly desert environment visiting oases and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:32

Saudi Arabia · 2026

© Mischa Keijmel · XC1186688 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:17

Cape Verde · 2024

© Markus Jacobs · XC872358 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:33

Oman · 2023

© Alain Malengreau · XC863214 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Luxor 🇪🇬 Egypt
~20%
2 Cairo 🇪🇬 Egypt
<5%
3 Dubai 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Al Hefaiyah Reserve 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity
2 Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Brown-necked Raven in Cairo?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-necked Raven sighting in Cairo on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 83rd most-seen of the 92 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Brown-necked Raven in Cairo?

March

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-necked Raven in Cairo on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months.

Is Cairo the best place to see a Brown-necked Raven?

2nd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Brown-necked Raven sightings, Cairo ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Luxor (Egypt, about 20%).

Where does the Brown-necked Raven sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Brown-necked Raven is recorded against all the birds logged in Cairo (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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