House Crow

SCI Name:  Corvus splendens
Protonym:  Corvus splendens Nouv.Dict.Hist.Nat. 8 p.44
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Corvidae / Corvus
Taxonomy Code:  houcro1
Type Locality:  Bengal.
Author:  Vieillot
Publish Year:  1817
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

CORVUS
(Corvidae; Ϯ Common Raven C. corax) L. corvus  raven. In fable the Raven was originally white but, despite its supposed gift of prophecy, was turned into a black bird for its treachery. The Common or Northern Raven is the largest species of passerine bird; "48. CORVUS.  Rostrum convexum, cultratum, basi pennis setaceis tectum.  Lingua cartilaginea bifida." (Linnaeus 1758); "Corvus Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, p. 105. Type, by tautonymy, "Corvus", i.e. Corvus corax Linnaeus." (Blake & Vaurie in Peters, 1962, XV, p. 261).  This is the ninth diagnosed genus in avian taxonomy.  Linnaeus's Corvus comprised twelve species (C. Corax, C. Corone, C. frugilegus, C. Cornix, C. Monedula, C. benghalensis, C. glandarius, C. cristatus, C. Caryocatactes, C. Pica, C. paradisi, C. infaustus).     
Var. Cervus, Coruus.   
Synon. Amblycorax, Anomalocorax, Archicorax, Coloeus, Corax, Corone, Corvultur, Frugilegus, Gymnocorax, Gymnocorvus, Heterocorax, Macrocorax, Microcorax, Monedula, Nesocorax, Palaeocorax, Physocorax, Pterocorax, Rhinocorax, Sitocorax, Trypanocorax.

corvus
L. corvus raven.
● From a local name Caa Maa crow gull, for the Black-legged Kittiwake in the Shetlands (syn. Rissa tridactyla).

splendens
L. splendens, splendentis  brilliant, glittering  < splendere  to shine.
● ex “Moineau de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 224, fig. 3 (subsp. Volatinia jacarini).
● ex “Eclatant” of Levaillant 1801, pl. 85 (Pica artefact).

SUBSPECIES

House Crow (zugmayeri)
SCI Name: Corvus splendens zugmayeri
zugmayeri
Dr Erich Johann Georg Zugmayer (1879-1938) Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, explorer, collector in Siberia and Central Asia (subsp. Corvus splendens, syn. Halcyon smyrnensis).

House Crow (splendens)
SCI Name: Corvus splendens splendens
splendens
L. splendens, splendentis  brilliant, glittering  < splendere  to shine.
● ex “Moineau de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 224, fig. 3 (subsp. Volatinia jacarini).
● ex “Eclatant” of Levaillant 1801, pl. 85 (Pica artefact).

House Crow (protegatus)
SCI Name: Corvus splendens protegatus
protegatus
L. protegatus protected, covered < protegere to cover over.

House Crow (maledivicus)
SCI Name: Corvus splendens maledivicus
maldivarum / maldivus / maledivicus
Maldive Is.
● Open sea in the latitude of the Maldive Is.; ex “Perdrix de Mer” of Sonnerat 1782, and “Maldivian Pratincole” of Latham 1785: “This was taken at open sea, in the latitude of the Maldivia Isles. It lived a month on flies, and bread soaked in water” (Glareola).

House Crow (insolens)
SCI Name: Corvus splendens insolens
insolens
L. insolens, insolentis  unusual, excessive, arrogant, impertinent, haughty  < in-  not; solens, solentis  accustomed, habituated  < solere  to be accustomed.