Big, black, broad-headed and thick-billed, tight-feathered and smooth; in flight square, short-headed, with fingered wings, quite heavy and deliberate, not so acrobatic as the Rook or Raven.

Its taste for dead meat has given the Carrion Crow a bad reputation, yet it is an undeniably impressive, even handsome bird. Its intense blackness, solid build, thick bill, and bright, intelligent eyes give it great character. Despite persecution it survives on farmland, at the edges of woods, and on coasts, often feeding on beaches.