The chattering raven (Corvus albus), a sub-Saharan species deemed “potentially invasive,” has flourished in the Port of Las Palmas, where several specimens have established their presence over the past five years, despite multiple attempts by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria to capture and relocate them to specialised centres.
This species is smaller than the common raven, as is also the case with the canary bird (Corvus corax canariensis), although the African raven is distinguishable from both due to the large white patch that covers its body.
A white plumage on its chest has become a common sight in the heights of La Isleta, El Confital and the Port of La Luz, where it has been spotted several times in recent weeks, even perching on the walls of the shipyards located at the beginning of the Reina Sofia pier.
More Specimens in the Capital
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It’s not the only part of the city where the African corvid inhabits, classified as potentially invasive in the exotic species database compiled by the Canary Islands Government. The existence of another pair in the vicinity of the Insular Hospital, between the slopes of Zárate and El Lasso, has also been confirmed, as explained by Pascual Calabuig, coordinator of the Wildlife Recovery Centre in Tafira, which is under the jurisdiction of the Cabildo.
In this southern area of the Gran Canaria capital, there is also evidence that the bird has reproduced and is feeding several chicks. This poses a new risk for the Canarian raven, which is endangered in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, while recovering in the rest of the islands, especially in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, which have the largest populations.
Accidents with power lines and the use of poisons to eradicate colonies of feral cats that decimate rabbit hunting are the main causes of extinction in Grand Canaria, with a census of barely 13 specimens from a few years ago.
The Canarian Raven
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In other islands, such as Tenerife, the percentages have improved. The native raven, in that sense, seems to have indirectly benefitted from the feeding stations introduced to aid the recovery of the Egyptian vulture, a scavenging bird in danger of extinction which, like the raven, also feeds on dead animals.
The situation, in any case, is dire for their survival, at least in the capital islands: the island sub-species is “seriously threatened,” with a significant decline of 80% to 90% in its population over the last 10 years.
The risk of the proliferation of the African raven lies in the possibility of hybridising with the Canarian raven, meaning they could interbreed. This potential is real because there is no official plan to control the invasive species, at least beyond the monitoring that the Government of Canarias must carry out as the competent authority in this matter.
Intelligent and Social
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Ravens, moreover, eat everything (omnivores) and adapt well to urban environments. Landfills, crops, or small live or dead prey, there’s no challenge they cannot overcome due to their great intelligence. Therefore, they are quite difficult to capture.
Hidden Passenger in Areas Connected to Transportation of Goods and People
La Luz, with constant traffic to African ports, seems to have played a significant role in the arrival of the African Pius Crow to Gran Canaria, a bird that is not considered migratory, but rather sedentary.
Stowaways on Ships
Calabuig recalls that about 20 years ago, several specimens were captured on a Russian ship and then transferred to Palmitos Park. After that initial episode, which was under control, sporadic sightings have been reported in different parts of Gran Canaria.
The most recent and significant incident dates back to 2019, also at the Port of Las Palmas and its surroundings. Several individuals were captured from a “large group,” but at the decision of the Government of the Canary Islands, traps were stopped to catch a couple that escaped and nested in a warehouse in Sebadal.
It is most likely that the African crow seen in recent weeks at Reina Sofia is related to that wave of 2019, which apparently arrived on a ship from Senegal.
