Samar crow

Samar crow
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Corvidae
Genus:	Corvus
Species:	C. samarensis
Binomial name
Corvus samarensis Steere, 1890
Synonyms
Corvus enca samarensis Steere, 1890

The Samar crow (Corvus samarensis), formerly known as the small crow, is a passerine bird in the genus Corvus of the family Corvidae. It endemic to the islands of Samar and Mindanao in the Philippines. Its natural habitats are primary tropical moist lowland forest. It is now extremely rare and likely endangered. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting.

Described as a small and short tailed crow with bare facial skin and a distinctive whirring flight style found in pristine primary forests. Its call is described as a high pitched squeals not typical for a crow.

It is very similar to the Sierra Madre crow but it has a shorter and thinner bill, more intense black plumage and darker gray feathers on the base of its neck. It also differs in voice which is described as lower pitched and less squealing buzzing notes in comparison to the Sierra Madre crow. ^[1]

It was previously considered a subspecies of the Slender-billed crow (now Sunda crow), but phylogenetic evidence proved that the enter slender-billed crow species complex had multiple species and was split by the International Ornithologists' Union. This new species was recognized as the small crow, which contained two subspecies namely the Samar crow and the Sierra Madre crow, shortly after, these 2 subspecies were designated as their own distinct species. ^[2][3]

The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.^[4] However, the Samar crows on Mindanao have not been recorded since the 1980s and may possibly be extinct. Due to a lack of records, this could possibly have represented a subspecies or even distinct species. The lone recording of a Samar crow in Mindanao by Robert Kennedy revealed a lower pitched call compared to the Samar crows on Samar but as this is just a single recording and there have not been any records in almost 50 years, its distinctiveness as a species or subspecies cannot be proven.^[5]

It is found in tropical moist lowland forest where it is extremely intolerant of any disturbance.

IUCN has yet to assess this bird but due to their preference for pristine forest, general rarity and lack of records in the past decades in Mindanao it is safe to assume that this bird is threatened. Deforestation through illegal logging and slash-and-burn continues across most of its remaining habitat. It is also believed to face interspecific competition from Large-billed crow which is more aggressive and adaptable to disturbed habitats.

Occurs in only one protected area in the Samar Island Natural Park but actual protection and enforcement from illegal logging and hunting are lax^[6]

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