American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) are a species of bird found in the family Corvidae, a family that also includes magpies, nutcrackers, and jays (Eastman, 1997). According Eastman’s book Birds of Forest, Yard, and Thicket, there are around forty-two Corvus species, and most of them live in the Northern Hemisphere (1997). American Crows in the United States usually do not migrate, but they do migrate in Canada. Not all American Crows migrate, but they are social birds who form wintertime flocks that sometimes reach over 200,000 birds (Burton et al., 2010). American Crows have a number of features that make them identifiable, and to help keep them from being confused with another member of the Corvus genus, the Common Raven (Marzluff et al., 2013). American Crows can reach a length between 17 to 21 inches, with a wingspan of 39 inches, while the Common Raven is a larger bird that has an average length of 24 inches (Burton et al. 2010; Marzluff et al, 2013). Both the American Crow and the Common Raven have black coloration, but their feathers and beaks differ. Common Ravens have a larger, stronger beak, a wedge-shaped tale, and spikey feathers on their throat. American Crows, on the other hand, have a smaller and less bulky bill, smooth throat feathers, and they have tail feathers that fan out instead of forming a wedge (Marzluff et al, 2013). The two birds have different styles of flying. A Common Raven soars in flight, but C. brachyrhynchos usually keeps flapping its wings instead of gliding (Burton et al. 2010; Marzluff et al, 2013). Finally, American Crows also have a different call than their raven counterparts: their cry is a “caw, caw” that sets its voice apart from the croaking noises ravens make (Marzluff et al, 2013... ... middle of paper ... ... Crows may be to blame for some, their bad record is not entirely justified. They may eat human crops, but generally it is the left over grain that they eat. Humans also benefit from their appetite for carrion and insects, since crows eat roadkill and farm pests (Burton et al., 2010). American Crows may not be the most beautiful or agreeable of birds, but they are a complex and interesting species. References Burton, R. & Kress, S. W., (2010). Bird profiles: American Crow. Audubon North American birdfeeder guide (Rev. ed., p. 150). New York: DK. Eastman, J. (1997).14-Crow and Jay Family (Corvidae). Birds of forest, yard, and thicket. (pp. 127- 145). Mechanicsburg, Pa: Stackpole Books. Retrieved from: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) [Accessed 3 March 2014] Marzluff, J., Angell, T. & Elliot, B. (2013, May. - Jun.). Birds: Brains over brawn. Audubon, 115(3), 40-41.
United States Department of the interior Fish And Wildlife Service, . North American Fauna. 2012.
Alden, Peter, Rich Cech, and Gil Nelson. 1998. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida. New York: Knopf. 2. Brown, Larry W. 1997.
In "The Raven", a man, most likely older than the man in "Annabel Lee", mourns the death of his love whom he called "Lenore". Lenore, like Annabel Lee, had died several years earlier. In "The Raven", man hears tapping on his chamber door and sees the curtains slowly swaying. He believes that it can be no other than Lenore. Unfortunately for him though, it is only but a bird. A large, black bird known as the Raven. Although the men in these two stories are similar because they both mourn for their loved ones, they are also different.
Sandhill Cranes are known for their courtship dances and their distinct loud calls. According to Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, there are a total of six subspecies of Sandhill Cranes that are classified into two groups; the migratory and non-migratory. “The three migratory subspecies (Lesser, Greater and Canadian) are distributed across a broad breeding range in the northern U.S. and Canada as well as eastern Siberia, with wintering grounds in the southern United States and northern Mexico. The three non-migratory subspecies (Mississippi, Cuban, and Florida) have restricted ranges in the southern United States and Cuba (International Crane Foundation).” According to Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, the declines in Sandhill Cranes are due to forfeiture of wetlands, changes in its environment, and hunting. Over the years, the debate is whether or not to hunt the bird. It is important that we preserve the Sandhill Cranes because they are not game birds, they’re beautiful birds, and they have cultural significance in other countries.
Martin, Scott. Annotations to The Crow by James O’Barr . Last updated 9 July 1998. Accessed 23 April 2003. <http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Balcony/2570/crownote.htm>.
Klein shows several example videos of birds adapting to their environments to show how these birds adjust to living in our lives. One example is a bird living in Japan and learning how to crack open a nut by dropping it in the street, letting a car run over it, waiting for the light to change, then retrieve their food. They learned this by other crows doing the same thing in Tokyo years before. Klein has learned that crows are now really smart as well as they
The Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus is found in Africa (Ogada, 2011). Brown (1971) also described this species as one of the commonest or in some places, the commonest vulture in Africa. It occurs throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa with the exception of heavily forested areas in Central Africa (Ogada, 2011). The Hooded Vulture occupies a variety of habitats including deserts, forests, savanna and urban areas and is a human commensal associated with rubbish dumps and slaughterhouses in urban areas where it can gather in large numbers (Ogada, 2011). Its close relationship with man enabled it to increase in numbers at some point in time since it lacked competition from other vultures in urban environments (Anderson 1999). However, this close association with man resulted in its overexploitation for food and traditional medicines predominantly in West Africa (Anderson 1999, Sodeinde and Soewu 1999). The Hooded Vulture is sedentary, nests and roosts on trees, and can be found in more forested areas than any of the other African vultures (Ogada, 2011). Throughout its range of habitats, it feeds on scraps,
The Whooping Crane is known to be one of the tallest birds in North America. The size of the Whooping Crane makes it unique because it stands as high as an average human which is about 5’4” and has a wingspan of 6’6” to 8ft. These birds have a long Trachea which raps into its sternum so they can honk over marshes and you can hear them up to one and a half miles away. Because Whooping Cranes are so large they require a habitat that will accommodate their size. When the humans settled long ago in the Northern American Prairies, they drained big and small marshes for more dry land for their crops and pastures therefore it destroyed the Whooping Cranes homes which is one of the reasons why it is on the endangered species list. In the previous
There are both similarities and differences between the Raven of Edger Allen Poe’s “The Raven” and the Raven from Native American mythology.
Blue Jays become quiet during the nest, only make loud noise when they notice the nest is in danger. Blue Jays are Omnivorous. Blue Jays diet is 75% vegetable including nuts and fruits. Blue Jays have small diet of insect and animals, few of them are caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders and snail and sometimes add small rodents, frogs and baby birds. Blue Jay collect nuts open them with their beak and keep their nuts under the ground. Blue Jays can hold food in there esophagus and carry food in their beak. The blue jays immigrate long distances.
As most readers of this series know, the idea of crows is repeated a lot. It took me a few weeks to figure out that it was a major symbol in the story and it’s meaning.
del Hoyo, Josep, Andrew Elliott and Jordi Sargatal. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol 1, Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, 1992.
"Avian Reintroduction and Translocation : Home." Domain Default Page. Lincoln Park Zoo, 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. .
Recher, Harry F. (1985). Eucalypt Forests, Woodlands and Birds: An Introduction. In Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation, Management. Ed. A. Keast, H. F. Recher, H. Ford, and D. Saunders, pp. 1-10. Chpping Norton, New South Wales: Surrey Beatty and Sons Pty Ltd.
*The speed of migration is different for different species, depending on when they migrate. *A new study has found interesting differences in the migration speeds of early and late migrants between Europe and Africa. *In general, flight velocity of birds ranges from 20 to 50 miles per hour. *For sustained flight, larger birds typically fly faster than smaller birds. * A common flying speed of ducks and geese is between 40 and 50 miles per hour, but among the smaller birds it is much less. *Herons, hawks, Horned Larks, ravens, and shrikes, timed with an automobile speedometer have been found to fly 22 to 28 miles per hour, whereas some of the flycatchers fly at only 10 to 17 miles per hour. *Even such fast-flying birds as the Mourning Dove