The carrion crow from England and southern Scotland, and the hooded crow from the Scottish highlands, are treated here as a single species. Crows are omnivorous and occur cross all habitats. They are major predators of ground-nesting birds, consuming both eggs and chicks. Like the magpie, crows may be shot and trapped year round by landowners, occupiers and other authorised persons to conserve fauna and flora under an annual general licence, issued under the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981). Numbers culled are recorded within the NGC.
The crow bag index has increased overall, with a doubling between 1983 and 1995. The national trend estimated by the British Trust for Ornithology also identifies a doubling in abundance between 1966 and 2004. Crow and magpie are the two main species targeted by Larsen trap users, so it is perhaps no coincidence that the crow index has stabilised in the same way as the magpie index in recent years.
Index of crows shot per km2 from 1961 to 2009 (see statistical methods and interpretational considerations). Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals.
