April 22
I started working on this at 11 pm and I see it is now 12:30am so I guess I can send it out now!
The Corvidae Family
Since this family of birds shares a very similar name to our daily report, I thought I would share a few of its members with you. This family does include what is considered to be the most intelligent bird in the world, the New Caledonian Crow. Although, the New Zealand Kea also claims that title. Regardless, some corvids actually can create and use tools, a skill that we once thought limited to primates.
So let’s start with the more familiar members of the family.
The American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
This summer visitor is common and widespread throughout Canada and the United States, although it doesn’t venture much north of the 60th parallel. It raucous cry is well done and easily imitated. Its collective noun of ‘murder’ perhaps points towards what we humans think of a large group of them.
The Common Raven, Corvus corax
This bird is sometimes considered a harbinger of death in folklore. They are one of my favorite birds to observe. Their vocalizations are amazing and extremely varied. Like many corvids, they can imitate sounds. They also provide amazing aerobatic displays on the riverbank near our house on windy days in the winter. And as everyone knows, they are extremely intelligent and can find creative ways to get into your garbage.
The Northwestern Crow, Corvus caurinus
Ok this looks like an American Crow. Indeed, Sibley’s Guide to Bird’s says “Habits and appearance essentially identical to American Crow.” So how does one know it is a Northwestern Crow? One knows by its habitat. Northwestern Crows live on the northwest coast from southern B.C to Alaska. The American Crow does not. The range maps in bird guides show very little overlap. So in this case, as I photographed these birds on Vancouver Island, I can say with a somewhat high degree of certainty, they are Northwestern Crows without resorting to DNA testing.
Chihuahuan Raven Corvus cryptoleus
This bird is described by Sibleys’s as “Intermediate between the American Crow and Common Raven”. In fact, my Mexican bird book calls it a Chihuahuan Crow. The identification of this one is much trickier. A couple of differences are it is smaller than a common raven, it has a bill shape like a common raven but shorter and it has white neck feathers. But the white neck feathers are rarely visible, except if the wind blows against their neck. I have based my ID on a) the beak is raven shaped and appears small (although I wish I had a better angle on it) and b) it was small for a common raven. And of course the other criterion is that it needs to be in the right place. In the case Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico. This raven is found from New Mexico and Texas south into northern Mexico. Another way to confirm I.D.’s is to go on line and see what has been reported on “eBird” the online birding records from thousands of birders run by Cornell University. In this case, both common and chihuahuan ravens are reported in the Bosque. So my certaintity on this identification is lower but I am sticking with it.
Sinaloa Crow, Corvis sinaloae
The final bird for today is the last all black corvid in North America that I have photographed. It is found in a very small area along the Mexican coast. Puerto Vallarta is at is southern limit and that is where I was lucky enough to see it this January. Its purplish sheen makes it easy to distinguish from an American Crow.
