COVER STORY: SPECIES PROFILE
THE dark-plumaged Corvus crows belong to the largest genus of the Covidae family, which contains some 130 species in all. But the majority of corvids – about 80 species – do not have sombre plumage. Many are attractive and colourful, including the jays, magpie jays, ground jays and one of the most popular corvids in aviculture: the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus). Derek Goodwin, in Crows of the World, considered this bird to be more closely related to the familiar magpies than to other corvids, yet this – the smallest European corvid – is more jay-like and as graceful and elegant as any songbird.
Both sexes are similar and have a striking velvet black hood, contrasting with subtle blends of light pastel shades of
