Monday, June 17, 2013

What is a crow? What is a Corvid?

  What is a crow?
          
A crow is  "any of several large glossy black birds of the genus Corvus, having a characteristic raucous call, especially C. brachyrhynchos of North America" (The  Free Dictionary).
          
It's important to note that not all crows are all black.  Even the all black ones aren't all black at times.  Sometimes these black birds will sport iridescent purples and blue-greens when the sun shines on them just right. 

What is a corvid?

          
A corvid is a member of the bird family Corvidae.   There are many species of birds in the family of Corvidae, including crows, ravens, magpies, and jays.  Members of Family Corvidae are very loud birds that are known for their intelligence, mischievous antics, and human-like behaviors.  Corvids are found throughout the world.  They are also found in literature books, as many legends have been written about them.  Although they are considered to be song birds (being members of the order Passeriformes), they are not known for their songs.  In fact, many corvids have annoying, grating voices.  
          
Depending on the particular species, corvidae colors might include blue, green, brown, white, and grey, and of course, black.  The size of these family members can be medium to large, reaching up to 28 inches long.  
           
Corvids are social animals and will provide assistant to others of their species.  The male will help its mate to build a nest.  He will also feed her while she keeps her eggs warm.  Crows will band together and take on predatory birds much bigger than them. They will even take on large birds that do not eat other birds, possibly because they look like predatory birds to them.
          
Corvids use tools;  some even make their own tools from the environment.  According to the BBC, "their total brain-to-body mass ratio is equal to that of great apes and cetaceans, and only slightly lower than in humans."
          
Members of Family Corvidae are found throughout the world.  This family has lots of interesting species.  Here are some of them: 

Crows

  • American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos:  United States and Canada
  • Fish Crow, Corvus ossifragus:  United States- Eastern Costals States, Southeast.  Some are found inland.  Schenectady, New York:  rare  
  • Carrion Crow, Corvus corone:   Europe and Asia
  • New Caledonian Crow, Corvus moneduloides: New Caledonian- Grande Terre island and MarĂ© island
  • Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix:  Europe and Asia
  • Cape Crow, Corvus capensis:  Africa
  • House Crow, Corvus splendens:  Asia, Africa, Australasia (Oceania)
  • Northwestern Crow, Corvus caurinus:  United States- western Washington State, lower Alaska and Canada-extreme West
  • Pied Crow, Corvus albus:  Africa  
  • Tamaulipas Crow, Corvus imparatus:  Limited Range in northeastern Mexico and extreme southern Texas.
  • Sinaloa Crow, Corvus sinaloae:  Mexico 

Ravens

  • Common Raven, Corvus corax:  United States- limited range in the east, wide range in the West.  Has been seen in Albany, New York.
  • Fan-tailed Raven, Corvus rhipidurus:  Africa and Asia 
  • Chihuahuan Raven, Corvus cryptoleucus:  United States- Limited range, including eastern Texas, eastern Oaklahoma, and southeastern New Mexico and Mexico
  • White-necked Raven, Corvus albicollis:  Africa
  • Forest Raven, Corvus tasmanicus:  Australia Commonwealth-  southeastern Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria.

RookCorvus frugilegus:  Europe, including England; Africa, including Egypt; Asia, including Iran 


Eurasian Jackdaw, Corvus monedula:  Europe and Asia.  Some have been seen in the northeastern United States. 


Cloughs

  • White-winged Chough, Corcorax melanorhamphos:  Australia- east and southeast mainland (excluding Queensland).
  • Red-billed Chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax: Europe- including England, Brittish Isles, Brittany, Cornwall; Wales; some parts of Scotland; Africa- in the north; Asia
  • Alpine CoughPyrrhocorax graculus:  Africa; Asia; Europe
Magpies
  • Black-billed Magpie, Pica hudsonia:  Western Canada and United States- western half, including Alaska.
  • Yellow-billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli: United States- California

Nutcrackers

  • Clark's Nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana:  western United States; western Canada.
  • Eurasian Nutcracker, Nucifraga caryocatactes:  Europe and Asia, from Scandinavia to Japan.
  
Jays
  • Gray Jay, Perisoreus canadensis:  Canada- throughout; United States- some western states, but range is not spread all over the western half, Alaska.
  • Pinyon Jay, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus:  United States- in the west
  • Florida Scrub-Jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens:   United States, only in Florida.
  • Western Scrub-Jay, Aphelocoma californica:  United States- western half, limited range in Texas; Mexico.
  • Green Jay, Cyanocorax yncas: Mexico; limited winter range in Texas, US. 
  • Steller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri;  Mexico; United States- western half, very bottom of Alaska; Canada- extreme west. 
  • Brown Jay, Cyanocorax morio:  Mexico
  • Mexican Jay, Aphelocoma wollweberi:  Mexico; United States:  Arizona, New Mexico, extreme southwest Texas
  • Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata:  United State- throughout most of the country.  Absent in western coastal states and several several other western states.   Limited winter range in Idaho.

     Sources:

 Farlex, The Free Dictionary, Crow,
     Crow, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/crow
     Australasia, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Australasia

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 

      Corvid
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139000/Corvidae
     Eurasian Nutcracker
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/688818/Eurasian-nutcracker

BBC:  Nature, Wildlife, Red-billed Choughs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Red-billed_Chough

Birds of the World, Corvidae of the World
http://carolinabirds.org/HTML/WLD_Corvidae_Crow.htm

Birds on the Edge, Choughs:  Restoration of the Red-billed Chough in Jersey

http://www.birdsontheedge.org/projects/choughs/

TripAdvisor, Cornwall Vacations
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g186234-Cornwall_England-Vacations.html

Birds in Backyard
          White-winged Chough
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Corcorax-melanorhamphos
          Forest Raven:  Basic Information
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Corvus-tasmanicus

New World Encyclopedia

Rook (bird)
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rook_(
bird)

Tamara Cohen, Mail Online, Rook with a Hook Proves Bird Brains are the Equal of Monkeys'
Updated May 26, 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1187429/Rook-hook-proves-bird-brains-equal-monkeys.html

Alsop, F.J., III.  (2001).  Birds of North America:  Eastern Region.  New York:  DK.


Tekiela, S. (2000).  Birds of New York:  Field Guide.  Cambridge, Minnesota:  Adventure.

Behavioural Ecology Research Group:  University of Oxford, Crow Natural History
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~kgroup/tools/crow_natural_history.shtml

Cornell Lab of Orthinology, All About Birds, Bird Guide
     Jays, Magpies, and Crows:  (Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae)
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse_tax/20/
      Northwestern Crow
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northwestern_Crow/id
     Yellow-billed Magpie
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-billed_Magpie/id
     Mexican Jay
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mexican_Jay/id
     Pinyon Jay
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pinyon_Jay/id

Memories of upstate New York

When I lived in South Dakota, the area I resided in had no crows.  For years...years, I lived my life without them and I missed them terribly.  Many times I found myself thinking about the many experiences I had with them when I lived in upstate New York, as I longed to be near them again.  
          
Back in upstate New York, many times I found myself pulled in their world, charmed by them, annoyed by them, but always fasincated by them.  I remember one sunny day when a hawk in pursuit of one crow ended up in a tree under a darkened sky.  The lone crow had turned on the hawk and became the pursuer.  Suddenly the sky was full of crows and a scream could be heard from the tree the hawk had taken refuge in.
          
During the fall in Albany, New York, I witnessed crows gathered by the hundreds during the evening.  Never had I'd seen so many birds in my life.  They moved in an enormous circle, while no one else even seemed to notice.  In Schenectady, the gatherings were smaller.  I remember that eerie yet fascinating feeling I got, standing by the window, looking up into the grey sky and seeing a group of them roosting in the trees.
          
One day in Schenectady, New York, I just stood there listening to what seemed to be a pretty lengthy conversation that the crows were having.  The conversation seemed to be coming from low trees.  I stood there in awe while the birds seemed to call back and forth to each other.

Here in North Dakota, the crows are very vocal, perhaps even more vocal than in upstate New York.  They seem more demanding, and perhaps a bit more regal.  I look forward to observing roosting behaviors in the fall.
      

Saturday, June 15, 2013

When Crows Talk

On of the things that fascinate me about crows are their vocals.  Crow vocals are not just noise.  These birds are saying something...talking.  They have even been known to curse.  What most humans hear as just loud noise are actually sounds that fluctuate some way, such as intensity.  Their language is important and complex.  Also, they make other sounds in addition to CAW.
          
Today a crow, smallish, was perched on a tall, thick, wooden post.  It called and another bird seemed to call back to it.  I paid attention to the several times this occurred, to make sure that this was not a coincidence.  It appears that this was not.  One time the other bird called out first and the crow on the post seemed to respond.  
          
After the conversation was over, I saw a bird floating down toward the ground.  I looked up and the crow was gone from the wooden post.  Perhaps this was the same bird.  The bird approaching the ground flying with it's legs hanging.  I've never seen a crow fly with it's feet hanging down before.  They were large, big, black feet.  It was such a sight.  Here was this bird, with fingers (feathers spread out so far you can see the spaces between the feathers at the edge of the wings), and large, pretty black feet handing down.  It was such a sight.