"Corvid" is the nomenclature
of the birds in the family corvidae, to include jays, crows, ravens, magpies
and nutcrackers. Over one-third of the Corvid family is comprised
of crows and ravens in the genus Corvus. That is the technical information
I found, however, my interest in crows and ravens is from a personal
point of view.
There are many beautiful, colorful birds.
There are song birds with lovely melodies, some complex, some a simple
aria upon which a complete symphony can be composed. There are those
whose exotic plumage can leave you gasping in admiration. The Common
Crow fits neither of these descriptions. His call is harsh, raucous!
His feathers are as black as a starless night. His figure is not
sleek nor commanding. Ah, but his is the stuff of which legends are
made.
"His feathers are as black as
a starless night"
In some countries, the crow is considered a
bad omen; the bringer of death. In fact, a group of crows is called
a "murder" of crows. But in my opinion, it's reputation for being
a bad guy is highly exaggerated. I have observed crow couples
diligently gathering sticks to add to their nest from the previous year,
(or building a new one in the same tree). Crows are doting parents.
I have seen them feed greedy, needy chicks, well into the youngster's maturity.
The fledglings fly after the parents, begging, from tree-top to roof-top.
No dummies, these kids! Crows flock together to attack an enemy.
Their raspy call bids others to come feed on the latest carrion find.
Yet, they can be seen in solitary flight.
The corvid is smart. Yes, smart!
Now, a bird is no match for the brainpower of a dog ; or is it?
I read an interesting account of a couple of ravens in Alaska, who ganged
up on a sled dog to steal its food. One bird hopped closer and closer
to the chained Husky, to tempt it into lunging at it. When the dog
leapt forward, the raven retreated to just beyond the poor canine's reach..
In an ever widening gap, the bird lured the dog away from the morsel, while
the other raven swooped in, |
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grabbed the prize and took off with it.
(There is no report on whether the birds "shared" the booty, but you must
admire the ploy.)
Do crows play games for fun? One day
when my oldest son was living at home, My husband was out in the garage
working on a project with the door open. The car was out in the driveway.
Suddenly a crow flew down onto the hood of the car, clumsily slid across
the hood, picked itself up and with the air of injured dignity, hopped
onto my husbands arm. For the rest of the afternoon, our guest "played"
with pencils, bits of shiny metal, and generally entertained our family.
It liked the men. I could not entice the crow to land on my arm or
sit on my shoulder. My husband and son, however, had acquired
a new friend. The crow hung around for a week, until my neighbor
decided it should have a name. She called it " Esmirelda".
The next day it was gone! Now, did the crow resent the fact that
someone tried to give it a name? I prefer to think that it flew back
to the person who had initially adopted it and fed it and raised it.
I didn"t find out and "Esmirelda" never returned.
"Since I was a child, crow watching
has been a hobby of mine"
Since I was a child, crow watching has been
a hobby of mine. Once I found a young one that had "fallen" out of
its nest. My brothers and I fed and protected it and groomed it for
the summer day when the pet parade was to be held in town. The morning
of the "big day" came and the crow was no where to be found. We called.
We searched. No crow. We did not get to the pet parade.
A few days later, at the base of an electric pole with a transformer on
it, there lay the crow. Crow had been investigating, apparently,
the shiny glass insulators and accidentally electrocuted itself.
Crows play. Crows entertain. Crows make charming subjects to
paint.
As I researched the internet for accurate information,
I found a number of interesting sites for Corvid enthusiasts. To
seek them for yourself, enter corvid on your favorite search engine.
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