The Chatham subspecies was significantly larger than the two New Zealand ones, and probably the world's fourth- or fifth-largest
passerine. They had long, broad bills that were not as arched as those of the
Hawaiian crow (
C. hawaiiensis). Presumably, they were black all over like all of their close relatives. There do not seem to be recorded oral traditions of this species – most of the
Moriori people, after whom this species was named, were eventually killed or enslaved by
Māori explorers, and little of their
natural history knowledge has been preserved. Thus, it cannot be completely ruled out that like some
congeners, such as the
pied raven, they had partially white or grey plumage. Although this species is generally considered to have become extinct before the arrival of European colonists, Ornithologist John Healy…spent over a month with the author’s father (Mr. E. Hay, of Pigeon Bay) in 1847 or 1848, during which time he added materially to his specimens. Mr. Healy was collecting for the British Museum, and was specially anxious to secure a large black crow, which was very rare. Two of these birds had been shot before he came, and had been eaten. A few days after he had left Pigeon Bay, Peter Brown shot another, which was also eaten in a stew with pigeons, which were then very numerous. The author has only seen three of these birds, and two of those he saw after they had been shot. The third was secured by Peter Brown, and the author saw it two or three times before it was bagged. The bird was larger than a wild pigeon, and smaller than a fowl. It was glossy black, with a strong beak like a fowl’s. It had poor flight, and generally frequented the same part of the bush. == Ecology ==