House Crow at the Inter-island Terminal, Mahe

House Crow near Interisland Terminal (Fynn Olaf Zade)

Fynn Olaf Zade has reported two House Crow Corvus splendens, seen in trees close to the Inter-Island Terminal, Mahe on 1 August 2022.

House Crows are native to southern Asia, but have spread along coastlines of the Indian Ocean and have even reached as far as Australia and Europe, threatening native species. House Crows were first reported from Seychelles in 1977, when five birds arrived at Mahe on an Indian cargo vessel. Two were shot but a surviving pair bred successfully until the population reached a peak of about 25 centred around Anse Etoile, Mahe. Control measures were implemented resulting in eradication by 1998. However, one or two birds have been noted many times subsequently, requiring further targeted control to prevent re-invasion. The last sighting known to SBRC prior to this was in January 2022: two birds near to the New Port, Victoria.