NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Samar Crow
Corvus samarensis Steere, 1890
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
The first ever close up shot of a Samar Crow. Photographed in Paranas by Enrico Legaspi.
Enrico Legaspi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Samar crow (Corvus samarensis), formerly known as the small crow, is a passerine bird in the genus Corvus of the family Corvidae. It is endemic to the islands of Samar and Mindanao in the Philippines. It had not been recorded in Mindanao since the 1980s until it was photographed in Davao Oriental in 2026. Its natural habitats are primary tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting. It has been assessed as endangered species (IUCN status) in 2026 with an estimated population of just 1,000 to 2,500 mature individuals.
Wikipedia contributors, Samar crow; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:02:54.586546+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Corvus samarensis Steere, 1890
- Name authority
- Steere, 1890
- Common name
- Samar Crow
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Corvus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCorvidae Leach, 1820
- genusCorvus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesCorvus samarensis Steere, 1890
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Corvus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Brown-headed CrowCorvus fuscicapillus G. R. Gray, 1859 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philippine Jungle CrowCorvus philippinus (Bonaparte, 1853) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little CrowCorvus bennetti North, 1901 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern RavenCorvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hooded CrowCorvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Carrion CrowCorvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thick-billed RavenCorvus crassirostris Rüppell, 1836 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chihuahuan RavenCorvus cryptoleucus Couch, 1854 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Indian Jungle CrowCorvus culminatus Sykes, 1832 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Somali CrowCorvus edithae Lort Phillips, 1895 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Flores CrowCorvus florensis Büttikofer, 1894 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| RookCorvus frugilegus Linnaeus, 1758 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Corvus enca samarensis Steere, 1890 Steere, 1890 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Steere, J. B. (1890). List of Birds Collected by the Steere Expedition to the Philippines, with Localities and with Brief Preliminary Descriptions of Supposed New Species. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:MRBGY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.