Seewinkel in eastern Austria lies in the area of Hooded Crow / Nebelkrähe (Corvus cornix) – but barely. While Carrion Crows / Rabenkrähen (C. corone) also do occur here, they are vastly outnumbered by Hooded Crows and hybridization is still rather rare compared to adjacent regions further west (like Vienna, were hybrids are the norm). In the wide hybrid zone, apparent „Hooded Crows“ are often darker than pure members of their species, a result of genetic introgression from Carrion Crows. On 7th May 2023 I photographed this local breeding pair of Hooded Crows in Frauenkirchen, Austria. Here – unlike the general pattern – the darker partner fits the average picture of pure Hooded Crow, whereas the second bird has strikingly paler grey plumage parts both on mantle/scapulars as well as on the underside.
