This distinctive all-dark crow replaces the House Crow in wooded areas especially away from human settlements. Our group called these birds Indian Jungle Crows (C. culminatus) considering them to be a different species from the similar Large-billed Crow (C. macrorhynchos) of the northern highlands. This followed the classification by the IOC based on Rasmussen & Anderton. However this split has not been widely adopted. Clements, eBird, Howard & Moore 4th, and the Oriental Bird Club all treat both birds as races of a single species using the name Large-billed Crow for both.
I thought the birds in the highlands sounded more hoarse and less strident. They also seemed more raven-like, frequently soaring and having more wedge-shaped tails cf. birds in the lowlands. Further research is needed to resolve the taxonomic complexity of this group. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
References:
Madge, S. (2016). Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Nelson,Mike (May 17, 2013). "Vocal variation and future splits of the Large-billed Crow complex". Xeno-Canto.
Rasmussen & Anderton. 2012. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions.