Ravens, Crows, and Blackbirds at This Time of Year, Our Present Western Culture Is Consumed with Scary, Creepy, and Mysterious
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BirdWalk Newsletter 10.29.2017 Walks Conducted by Perry Nugent Newsletter Written by Jayne J. Matney “Not Really Pitch Black” Photo by Guenter Webber Ravens, Crows, and Blackbirds At this time of year, our present western culture is consumed with scary, creepy, and mysterious. Sometimes the blackbirds, ravens, and crows are used to pull this off. Black may suggest to some people thoughts of evil or death. Of course, it didn’t help their “non-benevolent cause” when Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven”. These birds get a bad rap and then at other times are hardly acknowledged or noticed. At first glance, black birds, such as crows, red-winged blackbirds, ravens, and grackle seem like uninteresting, drab birds. However, if you look at them closely, and study them more thoroughly, they may surprise you. First of all, the black you see has an iridescence to it which shows many glossy colors reflecting off from the sunlight at different angles. Secondly, there are some interesting facts about them that most people would not know. In ancient culture and Native American culture, the black birds represented “good passage and protection” or a benevolent message or happy tiding. Other writings indicate that black birds of any type represent a higher intelligence, higher Photo by Guenter Weber understanding of the universe, secrets, and mysteries. Unable to gage whether they have a higher understanding, researchers have shown that the crow certainly is a good example of high intelligence. They have been known to be one of the few animals that can perceive and solve complex problems and use tools or the environment to gain a solution to those problems. Besides large and black, the most repeated descriptions used for the crows are intelligent, adaptive, sociable, and opportunistic. Ravens are mostly found in Western North America, but the raven and American Crow distributions overlap. “I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.” Joseph Addison, “The Spectator” Looking at the more common black birds in this area, the list includes: American Crow, Fish Crow, Boat-tailed and Common Grackles, and of course, the Red- winged Blackbird. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) Not to be mixed up with the ravens, crows are smaller than ravens but larger than grackles and other blackbirds found here. When comparing crows to our other black birds, look for larger size, relatively long legs, thick neck, and a heavier bill. Their wings are broad and rounded, and when in-flight the wing tips may spread out like fingers. Unlike the raven tails, which have a long section in the center, the American Crow has a tail that is straight across on the end. They are completely black, even their legs and bill, while their feathers are black, glossy, and can show iridescence at its finest. Crows can be found almost anywhere and are widespread throughout the country. As long as they have a place to perch and a dependable food source they will stay around. They may be found in fields, river sides, and woodlands, as well as parking lots, roadsides, garbage dumps, etc. This shows that the crow will feed off of a wide variety of things. In addition to the “normal bird food such as insects, frogs, snakes, seeds, grains, and berries, the crow will eat snakes, carrion, other birds’ eggs, turtle eggs, and garbage. Even though they can be scavengers, their bill cannot tear carcasses. Therefore, they must wait for another animal to begin feeding before they can take part. Being opportunistic, they are sometimes Thief carrying an egg considered “thieves”. Don’t be surprised if Photo from Guenter Weber you see a crow taking dog food out of a bowl, or raid a picnic table that is not being watched. When in flight, it rarely glides. It has a consistent and slow method to flying. In courtship, the male puffs out by spreading its feathers, and bows to the female which he is trying to impress. Once paired up, the birds will make physical contact with each other often by preening each other and touching beaks. They nest at least 10 feet above the ground with both in the pair contributing to the structure. Their nest is usually large and made of sticks, grasses, bark, and mud, then lined with moss and feathers. Eggs are dull blue- green to gray-green with brown and gray blotches. Even though the tending of the eggs is solely the female’s responsibility, the feeding is done by both parents once the babies are hatched. The pair may also get help from other crows in their social circle such as last year’s babies! These crow flocks seem to be significant in their lifestyles. In winter, they tend to roost together by mingling into other family units producing an army of individuals. When communicating, the crow has more of a “Caw-Caw” sound while the Ravens have more of a croaking sound. Crow among the berries Photo by Guenter Weber According to an article with Audubon by Nicholas Lund, called “How to Tell the Difference Between Crows”, trying to tell the difference between crows in North American is “a real pain” and goes further to say, “if you see a crow but it doesn’t make any noise, you’re not going to be able to make a positive ID. No one can…not with 100 percent certainty. Not even the pro birders. Not even me!” American Crows are known for their “caw-caw” or “caaaaaaaaaawwww” vocalizations while the Fish Crow is more nasal with sharper “caw caw caw” without stretching out the “awwww”. Fish Crows are typically found around water habitats, but American Crows can also be found there. According to the North American Breeding Survey, American Crow have a much higher global breeding number with 27 million versus the Fish Crow with 450,000. Crows are extremely susceptible to West Nile virus which has been known to be one of the culprits for their downfall in past years. In the more present years, the American Crow population is considered stable, while the Fish Crow are slightly increasing in population. Crows are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. However, some states consider them a pest bird and allow some hunting of these species. Fun Facts About Crows: • One nesting pair of Fish Crows adopted a young Blue Jay which appeared in their nest. The jay disappeared after 2 weeks of care. • Communal roosts of crow can range from a few hundred to two million individuals! • Some roosting sites have been functioning in the area for at least 100 years. • American Crows are not at maturity to breed until they are at least two years old. • The oldest known wild American Crow was over 16 years old when it was last captured and released. The oldest captive crow was in New York at 59 years old! • Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes examples of crows’ problem solving and manipulation skills. One incident was described where a captive crow used a cup of water to pour into a bowl of dry mash. Another crow shaped a tool out of a piece of wood and used it to poke into a hole in a post looking for food, while another broke away pieces of pine cone down onto tree climbers approaching a nest. They have also been known to take nuts and throw them on the roads where automobiles can crack them open for them. “ But there in your stony and windswept garden A blackbird is confirming the grip of the land. You, you, he murmurs, dark purple in his voice.” Anne Stevenson “North Sea Off Carnoustie” Grackle with a nut or egg? Photo by Guenter Weber Common Grackle (Quiscalus quisculla) Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) Smaller than both the ravens and the crows, and having narrower beaks, grackles are another Grackle Photo by Marina Coppedge blackbird in our vicinity. Liking open or semi-open habitats, the grackles gravitate to open fields, grasslands, meadows, farmlands, groves, swamps, riversides, etc. The Boat-tailed Grackles are very distinctly linked to tidewaters, therefore are found along coastal areas in marshlands instead of being found inland. Adaptable to humans, they make use of parking lots, feed lots, parks, and cemeteries. When they roost in groups, they choose dense woods close to open areas. When these birds come in for breeding in our area, males are very obvious about their territories. The males will get up in the tree tops or high shrubbery and call out or sing with loud and sometimes obnoxious crooning. Also in their repertoire is an aggressive beating or fluttering of their wings. When they search for food, they will forage by walking on the ground, wading in shallow water, or perusing along branches in the trees and shrubs. They eat mostly seeds, grains, berries, fruits, insects, and small animals. According to the literature, “scare-crows” should be called “scare-grackles” as they are the leaders in eating farmers’ corn and grains. Common Grackle usually stick to more dry foraging while the Boat-tailed Grackle has no problem getting down in the water or mudflats. Grackles will also dip dry foods into a water source before eating. With their strong beaks, they can pry open mussel shells and break snail shells for food. When they roost, grackles will not hesitate to mix in with other types of blackbirds. When distinguishing the two types of grackles found in the area: The Common Grackle is smaller in length than the Boat-tailed Grackle but stockier with a shorter more slender bill.