Many years ago, I once learned that ravens make a GRONK sound. I remember thinking that that was silly and no bird makes a sound like that. Some time later I was walking down a street in Albany, when I heard GRONK. I looked up and there was a raven above me perched on a street light. That was over 14 years ago.
It's hard to put into words how the encounter felt. After all, coming across a bird in general was not unusual for me, but there was something different about this bird. The scene was like something out of a fairy tale. There I was, on the ground. There it was, above me. For a very, very brief point in time, there seemed to be a connection between us.
In pictures, ravens look like large crows. In person, they do not...at least, this one didn't. Books, have nothing on this bird. This bird seemed enormous- rounded beak and all....much larger than the pictures in the book. It happened on a Washington Ave. in Albany, New York, somewhere not far from the state university I was attending as an undergraduate...at some point in time, during a life that no longer exists.
Two types of ravens can be found in the United States. Corvus corax is a term I've often liked...it just sounds catchy, and it's the scientific name for the common raven. I'm not sure why this bird was hanging out in Albany, New York. According to maps, it was certainly out of its range. Its known to roam more toward the middle of New York state, and much further upstate towards Canada. Corvus corax has a very limited range in the eastern half of the United States but can be found in the west from Montana down to New Mexico, and all the way to the western edge of the country. This bird is also found throughout Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. These are year round ranges for this creature.
The common raven likes to build large nests that can be up to 4 feet across. These nest are much more wider than they are deep, as they are only 6 inches tall. But even though they are very short, these ravens take great care in lining their nests using "hair, moss, grasses, and bark shreds" (Mahnken, 1996).
Corvus corax "glides on flat outstretched wings, compared to the slightly V-shaped pattern of Crow. Low raspy call distinguishes the Raven from the higher-pitched Crow" (Tekiela, 2000). According to Alsop (2001) "this magnificent flier is the aerial equal of hawks and falcons and is the largest passerine, or perching bird, in North America."
Corvus crptoleucus, the chihuahuan raven is an interesting flier. "Highly adventuresome, these birds sometimes dive into rotating air masses or dust devils and allow themselves to be taken for an upward ride (Alsop, 2001). Corvus crptoleucus can be found year round in the western half of Texas, Oklahoma (extreme west), Kansas (southwest corner), Colorado (southeast corner), New Mexico (extreme east, extreme south), and Arizona (southeast corner). This creature can also be found in different parts of Mexico as well.
For more on the common raven, please click here.
For more on the chihuahuan raven, please click here.
Sources:
. Mahnken, J. (1996.). The backyard bird-lover's guide. Storey: North Adams, MA.
. Tekeiel, S. (2000). Birds of New York: Field Guide. Adventure: Cambridge, MN.
. Stokes, D., & Stokes, L. (1996). Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region. Little Brown and Company: New York.
.Alsop, F. J. III (2001). Birds of North America: Eastern Region. New York: DK
. Cornell Lab or Ornithology. chihuahuan raven.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/chihuahuan_raven/id
. MapsOfTheWorld.com. US Map: State and Capital. http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/usa-maps/us-map.gif
