The Pied Crow Corvus albus is one of three corvids found in Zimbabwe, however I found that only this well known species features in local folklore, particularly relating to their apparent intelligence, ‘priest-like’ pied plumage and penchant for feeding on carrion.

A belief related to me by some Ndau contributors is that Pied Crows lack blood in their bodies, and that although they originated from the heavens, they cannot now return due to their carrion eating habits. For this reason these birds are never eaten. I was also informed of the Shangaan belief that should a person eat food stored by a Pied Crow they would almost certainly lose their memory.

Ndebele people interviewed corroborated the belief that rain clouds disperse when crow chicks open their beaks, and that as a result, their nests are destroyed whenever possible. Contrary to this, a number of people of Shona origin told me of the common belief that no rain will fall during the upcoming wet season should one of these birds be killed for any reason.

I was also informed that the baTonga consider Pied Crows as ‘protectors’ that watch over other birds.

Local names for the Pied Crow in Zimbabwe:

Gunguwo, Sawara – Shona (all dialects)
iWabayi – Ndebele
Legokobu – Sotho
Gunguvo, Gwavava – Shangaan
Chikwangia – baTonga

Information for this section was obtained from interviews with contributors, as well as the reference below.

Reference:

Bozongwana, W. (1983). Ndebele religion and customs (1st ed.). Mambo Press, Gweru, Zimbabwe.

For more information on this species visit:

https://ebird.org/species/piecro1?siteLanguage=en_AU

http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/pied-crow-corvus-albus