A crow with a thick bill and a raised forehead. In Japan it occurs in forests, towns and other habitats.
Its bill is thick and its forehead is strongly raised.
Large-billed crows associate the appearance and voice of familiar group members. When a different group member’s call follows the sight of a bird, they look toward the source sooner and for longer than when appearance and voice match. Recognizing companions therefore involves combining visual and auditory information.
A 2012 study tested seven crows captured in Tokyo and subsequently housed together for more than a year. A bird in an opposite cage was shown for one minute, then hidden behind a partition before a recorded call was played. Researchers compared matching and mismatching identities. Mismatches elicited stronger responses for familiar group members. The same pattern did not appear when the stimuli were unfamiliar crows captured in Tsukuba, with which the subjects had not interacted before the experiment. The results show that familiar individuals’ appearance and voice are linked in recognition.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
In Japanese cities, management addresses conflict between people and crows, including large-billed crows. Tokyo’s environmental bureau guidance updated in May 2025 states that finding a nest without associated damage does not itself require removal. It recommends nets or securely covered containers to prevent access to refuse. It also advises maintaining distance from nests and recently fledged young, which parents may defend. These are regional coexistence measures addressing human food sources and contact during breeding.