Corvids in Switzerland: the most intelligent animals in the crosshairs

Corvids are among the most intelligent animals on Earth. Studies by the University of Vienna, the University of Osnabrück and the Max Planck Institute have shown that young common ravens possess cognitive abilities on a par with adult great apes. Crows can count, make tools, recognise faces and empathise with their fellow crows. Research has demonstrated that they possess subjective experience and conscious perception. In Switzerland, thousands of these animals are shot every year. Carrion crows, hooded crows, magpies, Eurasian jays and common ravens may legally be hunted. The rook is protected, yet its history shows how closely persecution and extinction can be intertwined. NABU states: «The hunting of corvids contradicts both the principles of sustainable use and all serious scientific findings.»

The five species at a glance

Carrion crow (Corvus corone)

The carrion crow is the most common corvid in Switzerland north of the Alps. It has entirely black plumage, measures around 47 centimetres in length and weighs between 450 and 600 grams. It lives in pairs or small family groups and inhabits forests, farmland, parks and built-up areas. Its diet is extremely varied: insects, worms, mice, carrion, grain, fruit, waste and, occasionally, eggs and young birds. As an omnivore and natural “sanitation service”, it disposes of carrion and helps regulate insect and rodent populations. It may legally be hunted in Switzerland. In 1998, the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (BUWAL) found that half of all birds killed were carrion crows and Eurasian jays.

Hooded crow (Corvus cornix)

The hooded crow is the south-Alpine and eastern sister species of the carrion crow, from which it differs by its grey body plumage combined with black head, throat, wings and tail. In Switzerland, it occurs mainly in Ticino, the Engadine and parts of Valais. In the hybrid zone, where the two species' ranges overlap, carrion crows and hooded crows interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Biologically and ecologically, the two species are equivalent. A study by Lomonosov Moscow State University and the University of Bristol (Animal Cognition, 2024) demonstrated that hooded crows are able to use “mental templates”, a cognitive ability previously thought to be unique to humans. The hooded crow may be hunted in Switzerland.

Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

The rook is a colonial breeder, distinguishable from the carrion crow by its featherless, greyish-white face at the base of the bill. In Switzerland, it disappeared for a long time due to persecution and habitat loss, and only resettled and spread again thanks to international protection. The Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach confirms: “The resettlement and spread of the cormorant and the rook are a result of improved international protection” (Sempach Ornithological Institute, Atlas). The rook is protected in most Swiss cantons, but is nevertheless hunted in individual cantons such as Basel-Landschaft (Canton BL hunting seasons, 2024/25). Its colonies near settlements lead to conflicts due to noise and pollution, which can be resolved through prevention and visitor management.

Common raven (Corvus corax)

The common raven is the largest songbird in the world. It reaches a wingspan of over one metre and weighs up to 1.5 kilograms. Its deep, guttural "krock-krock" call is unmistakable. It was heavily decimated in Switzerland through intensive persecution, but has recovered since hunting was restricted. The Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach explicitly names the raven among the species that were severely decimated by historical hunting (Vogelwarte Sempach, Atlas). It is huntable in Switzerland, with the cantons setting the hunting seasons. In Grisons, 51 grey herons and ravens were killed together in a single year (IG Wild beim Wild, hunting statistics 2022). The raven is perhaps the best-researched bird species in terms of cognition: it can count, understand relationships, cooperates only with honest partners, uses pointing gestures, and can take the perspective of fellow ravens (Bugnyar, University of Vienna).

Magpie (Pica pica)

With its black-and-white plumage and long tail shimmering metallic green and blue, the magpie is unmistakable. It is around 46 centimetres long and weighs 200 to 250 grams. It lives in open and semi-open landscapes, often near settlements, and builds large, spherical nests in trees and hedges. In Switzerland, the magpie was wiped out in Ticino through persecution and only resettled after protective regulations were introduced (Vogelwarte Sempach, Atlas). It is huntable in Switzerland. The magpie is one of the few non-mammals to pass the mirror test: it recognises itself in a mirror, which is considered an indicator of self-awareness.

Intelligence: Why corvids must not be shot

Cognitive abilities on a par with great apes

Research over the past two decades has revolutionised our understanding of corvids. A study by the University of Osnabrück and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology (Scientific Reports, 2020) showed that young ravens already possess, at just four months of age, cognitive abilities comparable to those of adult chimpanzees and orangutans. The birds mastered tests on understanding quantities, causal chains, social learning and communication at the level of great apes.

Professor Thomas Bugnyar from the University of Vienna, one of the world's leading corvid researchers, has demonstrated through decades of research that common ravens possess a "theory of mind": they are able to put themselves in the perspective of others and predict their actions (Proceedings of the Royal Society B). They only cooperate with honest conspecifics, feign caching food, manipulate social relationships and use pointing gestures, which are extraordinarily rare in the animal kingdom.

Consciousness in crows

In 2020, researchers at the University of Tübingen were able to provide the first neuroscientific evidence that crows possess subjective experience, meaning they consciously perceive sensory impressions. Until then, this type of consciousness had only been demonstrated in humans and other primates. The avian brain has no neocortex (cerebral cortex), which in mammals is responsible for higher cognitive functions. Nevertheless, corvids achieve comparable or even superior performance, because their pallium (an analogous brain region) contains significantly more neurons per unit volume than primate brains.

What the hunting means

Shooting animals that can count, make tools, recognise faces, empathise with others and possess conscious experience is ethically indefensible. The hunting of corvids is not wildlife management, but the routine killing of highly intelligent, sentient beings without reasonable cause.

More on this: Dossier: Hunting and Biodiversity

The hunting: thousands of kills without purpose

Legal situation

Under the Federal Hunting Act (JSG, Art. 5 para. 3), carrion crow, hooded crow, common raven, magpie and Eurasian jay are huntable bird species. The rook is also hunted in individual cantons (canton of BL: hunting season 1 August to 15 February). Closed seasons vary considerably between cantons. In the canton of Bern, carrion crows, magpies and Eurasian jays are even killed during the closed season as part of "special kills", serving as a reward system for recreational hunters who "engage in wildlife management" (IG Wild beim Wild, Fox Massacre in Switzerland).

The scale of the killing

In 1998, the Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (BUWAL) found that half of all birds killed in Switzerland—around 25,000 animals—were carrion crows and Eurasian jays (BUWAL press release, 1998). Even today, thousands of corvids are shot every year. IG Wild beim Wild documents that, alongside the official kills in small-game hunting, "crows, jays, magpies" are among the species regularly killed (IG Wild beim Wild, hunting statistics 2022). In Grisons, the number of jays killed rose from 192 to 770 in one invasion year (Südostschweiz, 2018). BirdLife Switzerland comments: "Not only is hunting hares ecologically entirely unnecessary, so is hunting birds" (BirdLife Switzerland, hunting statistics).

The methods

In Switzerland, corvid hunting is mainly practised as wait hunting and, increasingly, as decoy hunting. In decoy hunting, crow decoys are placed in fields to lure other crows, which are then shot from a camouflage tent. Wildtierschutz Deutschland describes this method as "particularly perfidious" and compares the equipment (camouflage tent, camouflage suit, gloves, war paint) to war games (Wildtierschutz Deutschland, 2021). Carrion crows and magpies that are shot are generally not used for anything, but instead "disposed of like rubbish" (Wildtierschutz Deutschland, 2021).

More on this: Animal welfare problem: wild animals suffer agonising deaths because of recreational hunters

The "pest" narrative: scientifically disproven

"Corvids decimate songbirds"

The most widespread argument for hunting corvids is that they are "nest robbers" that decimate populations of songbirds and small game. NABU has refuted this claim on the basis of extensive scientific literature. Reports by independent institutes, including the work of Dr Wolfgang Epple, Dr Ulrich Mäck and Dr Hans-Wolfgang Helb (corvid expert for the state of Rhineland-Palatinate), consistently reach the same conclusion: there is no scientifically reproducible evidence that corvids pose a widespread threat to songbird or small-game populations (NABU, Hunting Corvids; Wildtierschutz Deutschland, 2021).

The actual causes of the decline in songbirds and small game are habitat loss due to the intensification of agriculture, the use of pesticides (which destroys insect food sources), land consolidation (which removes hedges and fallow land), glass façades, domestic cats and road traffic. Corvids have lived in the same ecosystems as songbirds and small game for thousands of years without threatening their populations. The decline of these species does not correlate with the population trends of corvids, but with the intensification of land use.

«Corvids cause damage to agriculture»

Carrion crows can cause localised damage to silage foil, maize crops and fruit. This damage is real, but limited and manageable with deterrent measures (scarecrows, diversionary feeding, nets). Monitoring results from Upper Austria show that the killing of 19’000 carrion crows per year led to no reduction in the population (OÖ Landesjagdverband, 2015). Hunting is ineffective as a damage-prevention measure.

«Common ravens kill lambs and calves»

The common raven is defamed by the recreational hunting lobby as a «lamb killer» and «calf killer». In reality, the common raven prefers to feed on carrion. Attacks on living livestock are rare and almost exclusively involve animals that are already weakened or dying. The claim that common ravens kill healthy lambs in pasture is not scientifically substantiated and belongs to the realm of hunters' tall tales (Wildtierschutz Deutschland, 2021).

Ecological significance: health police, regulators, seed dispersers

Carrion removal

Carrion crows and common ravens are the most important carrion removers of the Swiss cultural landscape. They dispose of dead animals on roads, fields and pastures, thereby preventing the spread of pathogens. Without corvids, disease hygiene in open land would deteriorate massively.

Regulation of pests

All five species feed to a considerable extent on mice, snails, cockchafer grubs and other agricultural pests. The carrion crow alone removes thousands of insects and mice per hunting ground each year. This benefit to agriculture far exceeds the damage to crops, but is not taken into account in any damage calculation.

Seed dispersal

Magpies and jays (as part of the corvid family) contribute significantly to the dispersal of plant seeds. Jay-sowing is recognised in forestry science (see Dossier: The jay in Switzerland).

Indicator species

Corvids are indicators of the quality of a landscape. Where corvids are absent, there is a lack of food diversity and habitat structure. Advocating their persecution while simultaneously lamenting the decline of biodiversity is a contradiction that the recreational hunting lobby cannot resolve.

What needs to change

Nationwide protection of all corvids: The hunting of carrion crows, hooded crows, common ravens and magpies has no reasonable justification within the meaning of the Animal Welfare Act. It contradicts the scientific findings on the intelligence and sentience of these animals. All corvids must be removed from the list of huntable species.
Immediate abolition of «special kills» during the closed season: The practice in certain cantons of releasing corvids for shooting as a «reward» for dedicated recreational hunters, even during the closed season, is a scandal and must be stopped immediately.
Ban on luring corvids for hunting: Luring with decoys and camouflage tents is a particularly perfidious hunting method that lures animals to their deaths by exploiting their social behaviour (curiosity, solidarity with fellow creatures). It must be banned.
Prevention instead of killing in agricultural conflicts: Where carrion crows locally cause damage to crops, deterrence measures, diversionary feeding and technical protective devices must be used. Killing has been proven ineffective, as experience from Upper Austria shows.
Public relations work to rehabilitate corvids: The «vermin» narrative that defames corvids as pests must be replaced by factual information about their intelligence, their ecological significance and their need for protection.

Talking points

«Corvids decimate songbird populations and must therefore be hunted.» Expert assessments from independent institutes and the position of NABU clearly refute this claim. The decline in songbirds does not correlate with the population trends of corvids, but rather with the intensification of agriculture, pesticide use and habitat loss. Corvids have lived in the same ecosystems as songbirds for thousands of years without threatening their populations. The recreational hunting lobby wants to get rid of an unwelcome competitor for prey in order to be able to shoot more small game.

«The carrion crow is a mass-occurring species and hunting it does not harm the population.» If hunting has no effect on the population, it also serves no purpose. Experience from Upper Austria proves that killing 19,000 carrion crows per year led to no reduction in population. A kill without effect and without utilisation is senseless killing. This contravenes the Animal Welfare Act, which requires a reasonable justification for killing an animal.

«Corvids are ‘pests’ that cause problems in agriculture.» Dividing animals into “useful” and “harmful” categories is an outdated concept from the 19th century. In Germany, the term “Raubzeug” (vermin) was removed from the Federal Hunting Act in 1976 as a “derogatory and unnecessary expression”. Corvids dispose of carrion, regulate mice and insects, and spread plant seeds. Their ecological benefit far outweighs the local damage to crops.

«The common raven kills lambs and must therefore be hunted.» The common raven prefers to feed on carrion. Attacks on live livestock are not scientifically documented. Defaming the common raven as a “lamb killer” is hunters' folklore, serving to legitimise the hunting of a species that was historically almost wiped out in Switzerland and has only recovered thanks to protective regulations.

«Hunting corvids is a tradition and part of small game hunting.» The persecution of corvids has a long history, steeped in superstition, prejudice and pseudo-biological notions. In the past, bearded vultures, ospreys, golden eagles and common ravens were almost wiped out because they were considered “harmful”. Science has long since corrected this assessment. Tradition is no argument for continuing a practice that has been proven to be pointless and ethically questionable.

Quick links

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Related dossiers

sources

Federal Hunting Statistics, BAFU/Wildtier Schweiz: http://www.jagdstatistik.ch
BUWAL press release (1998): Federal Hunting Statistics 1997 (Half of the birds killed were carrion crows and jays)
Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach: Atlas of Swiss Breeding Birds, Hunting and Persecution by Humans (vogelwarte.ch)
BirdLife Switzerland: The Current Hunting Statistics and the Revised Hunting Act (birdlife.ch)
NABU Germany: Hunting of Corvids (nabu.de)
Wildtierschutz Deutschland (2021): Hunting of Corvids, No Reasonable Grounds (wildtierschutz-deutschland.de)
Pika, S. et al. (2020): Ravens Parallel Great Apes in Physical and Social Cognitive Skills. Scientific Reports, University of Osnabrück/Max Planck Institute
Bugnyar, T. (various): Research on Raven Cognition, Theory of Mind in Common Ravens. University of Vienna, Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Nieder, A. et al. (2020): Consciousness in crows, University of Tübingen
Smirnova, A. A. and Jelbert, S. (2024): Mental templates in hooded crows. Animal Cognition
Upper Austria Provincial Hunting Association (2015): Monitoring of the carrion crow population in Upper Austria (19,000 kills without population reduction)
Canton Basel-Landschaft: Hunting seasons 2024/25 (carrion crow, rook, hooded crow, common raven, magpie, Eurasian jay)
Südostschweiz (2018): Hunters set a new record (770 Eurasian jays in Grisons)
IG Wild beim Wild (2020/2022/2025): Hunting statistics 2022, Fox massacre in Switzerland (wildbeimwild.com)
taz (2022): Hunting crows, Cleared for shooting
Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds (JSG, SR 922.0)
Animal Welfare Act (TSchG, SR 455)

Our Standard

Corvids are the primates among birds. They possess cognitive abilities that have left science astonished and that have only been approximately understood in the last two decades. They can count, make and use tools, take the perspective of others, manipulate social relationships, recognise faces and hold grudges for years. They mourn their dead companions. They have been shown to possess conscious experience. And in Switzerland they are shot by the thousands, not because they pose a threat, but because since the 19th century they have been regarded as «sermin» and because the recreational hunting community views them as competitors for prey. The persecution of corvids in Switzerland has led to the near-complete eradication of the common raven, the extinction of the magpie in Ticino, and the severe decimation of the carrion crow. It was only legal protection that enabled their recovery. The fact that these very species, whose survival is owed to protection, are now being hunted again is a historic regression. The conclusion is clear: all corvids must be protected nationwide in Switzerland. Hunting them is scientifically unfounded, ecologically harmful and ethically indefensible. This dossier is continuously updated whenever new figures, studies or political developments require it.

More on the topic of recreational hunting: in our hunting dossier we bring together fact checks, analyses and background reports.