[ Despite structural differences, the brains of corvids and great apes both evolved the ability to make geometrical measurements.
]
Empathy-consolation
Ravens are found to show bystander affiliation, and solicited bystander affiliation after aggressive conflicts. Most of the time, bystanders already sharing a valuable relationship with the victim are more likely to affiliate with the victim to alleviate the victim's distress ("consolation") as a representation of empathy
Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of social, co ...
. Ravens are believed to be able to be sensitive to other's emotions.
Empathy-emotional contagion
Emotion
Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...
contagion refers to the emotional state
Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. E ...
matching between individuals. Adriaense et al. (2018) used a bias
Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, ...
paradigm to quantify emotional valence
Valence, or hedonic tone, is the affective quality referring to the intrinsic attractiveness/"good"-ness (positive valence) or averseness/"bad"-ness (negative valence) of an event, object, or situation. The term also characterizes and categor ...
, which along with emotional arousal
Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...
, define emotions. They manipulated the positive and negative affective states in the demonstrator ravens, which showed significantly different responses to the two states: behaving pessimism to the negative states, and optimism to the positive states. Then, the researchers trained another observer raven to first observe the demonstrator's responses. The observer raven was then presented with ambiguous stimuli. The experiment results confirmed the existence of negative emotional contagions in ravens, while the positive emotional contagion remained unclear. Therefore, ravens are capable of both discerning the negative emotions in their conspecifics and showing signs of empathy.
Interspecific communications
Interspecific communication
Interspecies communication is communication between different species of animals, plants, or microorganisms.
Mutualism
Cooperative interspecies communication implies sharing and understanding information between two or more species that work to ...
s are evolutionarily beneficial for species living in the same environment. Facial expressions are the most widely used method to express emotions by humans. Tate et al. (2006) explored the issue of non-human mammals processing the visual cues from faces to achieve interspecific communication with humans. Researchers also examined the avian species' capabilities to interpret this non-verbal communication, and their extent of sensitivity to human emotions. Based on the experimental subject of American Crows' behavioral changes to varying human gazes and facial expressions, Clucas et al. (2013) identified that crows are able to change their behaviors to human emotions. They further suggested that the high intelligence of the crows enables them to adapt well to human-dominated environments.
Personality conformity
It is considered difficult to study emotions in animals when humans could not communicate with them. One way to identify animal personality
Personality is the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that are formed from biological and environmental factors, and which change over time. While there is no generally agreed-upon definition of personality, mos ...
traits is to observe the consistency of the individual's behavior over time and circumstances. For group-living species, there are two opposing hypotheses regarding the assortment of personalities within a group: the social niche specialization hypothesis, and the conformity hypothesis. To test these two hypotheses, McCune et al. (2018) performed an experiment on the boldness of two species in Corvidae: the Mexican Jay
The Mexican jay (''Aphelocoma wollweberi'')
Etymology: ''Aphelocoma'', from Latinized Ancient Greek ''apheles-'' (from ἀφελής-) "simple" + Latin ''coma'' (from Greek ''kome'' κόμη) "hair", in reference to the lack of striped or banded ...
and California Scrub-Jay. Their results confirmed the conformity hypothesis, supported by the significant differences in the group effects.
Social construction
The individual personality is both determined by genetics and shaped by social context
The social environment, social context, sociocultural context or milieu refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educate ...
s. Miller et al. (2016) examined the role of the developmental and social environment in personality formation in common ravens and carrion crows, which are highly social corvids. The researchers highlighted the correlation between social contexts and an individual's consistent behavior over time (personality), by showing that conspecific presence promoted the behavioral similarities between individuals. Therefore, the researchers demonstrated that social contexts had a significant impact on the development of the raven's and crow's personalities.
Social complexity
The social complexity
In sociology, social complexity is a conceptual framework used in the analysis of society. In the sciences, contemporary definitions of complexity are found in systems theory, wherein the phenomenon being studied has many parts and many possible ...
hypothesis suggests that living in a social group enhances the cognitive abilities of animals. Corvid ingenuity is represented through their feeding skills, memorization
Memorization is the process of committing something to memory. It is a mental process undertaken in order to store in memory for later recall visual, auditory, or tactical information.
The scientific study of memory is part of cognitive neurosc ...
abilities, use of tools, and group behaviour. Living in large social groups has long been connected with high cognitive ability. To live in a large group, a member must be able to recognize individuals, and track the social position and foraging of other members over time. Members must also be able to distinguish between sex, age, reproductive status, and dominance, and to update this information constantly. It might be that social complexity corresponds to their high cognition, as well as contributing to the spread of information between members of the group.
Consciousness, culture-rudiments, and neurology
The Eurasian magpie
The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (''Pica pica'') is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic ra ...
is the only non-mammal species known to be able to recognize itself in a mirror test
The mirror test—sometimes called the mark test, mirror self-recognition (MSR) test, red spot technique, or rouge test—is a behavioral technique developed in 1970 by American psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr. as an attempt to determine whether an ...
, although later research could not replicate this finding. Studies using very similar setups could not find such behaviour in other corvids (e.g., Carrion crows). Magpies have been observed taking part in elaborate grieving rituals, which have been likened to human funeral
A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
s, including laying grass wreaths.[Animal emotions, wild justice and why they matter: Grieving magpies, a pissy baboon, and empathic elephants](_blank)
Emotion, Space and Society xxx (2009) 1–4, Marc Bekoff Marc Bekoff, at the University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
, argues that it shows that they are capable of feeling complex emotions, including grief
Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cogni ...
. Furthermore, carrion crow
The carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae and the genus ''Corvus'' which is native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic.
Taxonomy and systematics
The carrion crow was one of the many species origi ...
s show a neuronal response that correlates with their perception
Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...
of a stimulus, which some scientists have argued to be an empirical marker of ( avian/corvid) sensory consciousness—the conscious perception of sensory input—in the crows which do not have a cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. The cerebral cortex mostly consists of the six-layered neocortex, with just 10% consisting of ...
. A related study shows that the birds' pallium's neuroarchitecture is reminiscent of the mammalian cortex.
Tool use, memory, and complex rational thought
There are also specific examples of corvid cleverness. One carrion crow
The carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae and the genus ''Corvus'' which is native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic.
Taxonomy and systematics
The carrion crow was one of the many species origi ...
was documented cracking nuts by placing them on a crosswalk, letting the passing cars crack the shell, waiting for the light to turn red, and then safely retrieving the contents. A group of crows in England took turns lifting garbage bin lids while their companions collected food.
Members of the corvid family have been known to watch other birds, remember where they hide their food, then return once the owner leaves. Corvids also move their food around between hiding places to avoid thievery—but only if they have previously been thieves themselves (that is, they remember previous relevant social contexts, use their own experience of having been a thief to predict the behavior of a pilferer, and can determine the safest course to protect their caches from being pilfered). Studies to assess similar cognitive abilities in apes have been inconclusive.
The ability to hide food requires highly accurate spatial memories. Corvids have been recorded to recall their food's hiding places up to nine months later. It is suggested that vertical landmarks (like trees) are used to remember locations. There has also been evidence that California scrub jay
The California scrub jay (''Aphelocoma californica'') is a species of scrub jay native to western North America. It ranges from southern British Columbia throughout California and western Nevada near Reno to west of the Sierra Nevada. The Cali ...
s, which store perishable foods, not only remember where they stored their food, but for how long. This has been compared to episodic memory
Episodic memory is the memory of everyday events (such as times, location geography, associated emotions, and other contextual information) that can be explicitly stated or conjured. It is the collection of past personal experiences that occurred ...
, previously thought unique to humans.
New Caledonian crow
The New Caledonian crow (''Corvus moneduloides'') is a medium-sized member of the family Corvidae, native to New Caledonia. The bird is often referred to as the 'qua-qua' due to its distinctive call. It eats a wide range of food, including many ...
s (''Corvus moneduloides'') are notable for their highly developed tool fabrication. They make angling tools of twigs and leaves trimmed into hooks, and then subsequently use the hooks to pull insect larvae from tree holes. Tools are engineered according to task, and apparently, also to learned preferences. Recent studies revealed abilities to solve complicated problems, which suggested high levels of innovation of a complex nature. Other corvids that have been observed using tools include: the American crow
The American crow (''Corvus brachyrhynchos'') is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America. American crows are the New World counterpart to the carrion crow of Europe and th ...
, blue jay
The blue jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident populations are a ...
, and green jay
The green jay (''Cyanocorax luxuosus'') is a species of the New World jays, and is found in Central America. Adults are about long and variable in colour across their range; they usually have blue and black heads, green wings and mantle, bluish- ...
. Researchers have discovered that New Caledonian crow
The New Caledonian crow (''Corvus moneduloides'') is a medium-sized member of the family Corvidae, native to New Caledonia. The bird is often referred to as the 'qua-qua' due to its distinctive call. It eats a wide range of food, including many ...
s don't just use single objects as tools—they can also construct novel compound tools through assemblage of otherwise non-functional elements. Diversity in tool design among corvids suggests cultural variation. Again, great apes are the only other animals known to use tools in such a fashion.
Clark's nutcracker
Clark's nutcracker (''Nucifraga columbiana''), sometimes referred to as Clark's crow or woodpecker crow, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to the mountains of western North America. The nutcracker is an omnivore, but subsists mai ...
s and jackdaw
Jackdaws are two species of bird in the genus ''Coloeus'' closely related to, but generally smaller than, the crows and ravens (''Corvus''). ''Coloeus'' is sometimes treated as a subgenus of ''Corvus'', including by the IUCN.Madge & Burn (1994) ...
s were compared in a 2002 study based on geometric rule learning. The corvids, along with a domestic pigeon
The domestic pigeon (''Columba livia domestica'' or ''Columba livia'' ''forma'' ''domestica'') is a pigeon subspecies that was derived from the rock dove (also called the rock pigeon). The rock pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird. Me ...
, had to locate a target between two landmarks, while distances and landmarks were altered. The nutcrackers were more accurate in their searches than the jackdaws and pigeons.[
]
Implications and specific comparisons with other animals
The scarecrow
A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley B ...
is an archetypal scare tactic in the agricultural business. However, due to corvids' quick wit, scarecrows are soon ignored, and used as perches. Despite farmers' efforts to rid themselves of corvid pests, their attempts have only expanded corvid territories, and strengthened their numbers.
Contrary to earlier teleological
Teleology (from and )Partridge, Eric. 1977''Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English'' London: Routledge, p. 4187. or finalityDubray, Charles. 2020 912Teleology" In ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' 14. New York: Robert Appleton ...
classifications, in which they were seen as "highest" songbirds due to their intelligence, current systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...
might place corvids—based on their total number of physical characteristics, instead of just their brains (which are the most developed of birds)—in the lower middle of the passerine evolutionary tree, dependent on which subgroup is chosen as the most derived. As per one observer:
The other major group of highly intelligent birds of the order Psittaciformes (which includes 'true' parrots, cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 parrot species belonging to the family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea. Along with the Psittacoidea (true parrots) and the Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the ord ...
s, and New Zealand parrot
The New Zealand parrot family, Strigopidae,Nestoridae and Strigopidae are described in the same article, Bonaparte, C.L. (1849) ''Conspectus Systematis Ornithologiae''. Therefore, under rules of the ICZN, the first reviser determines priority, w ...
s) is not closely related to corvids.
A study found that four-months-old ravens can have physical and social cognitive skills similar to that of adult great apes, and concluded that the “dynamic of the different influences that, during ontogeny
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the stu ...
, contributes to adult cognition” is required for the study of cognition.[ ]
Available unde
CC BY 4.0
Disease
Corvids are reservoirs (carriers) for the West Nile virus
West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family ''Flaviviridae'', from the genus ''Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus ...
in the United States. They are infected by mosquitoes (the vectors), primarily of the ''Culex
''Culex'' is a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encep ...
'' species. Crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifical ...
s and raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
s are quickly killed by this disease, so their deaths are an early-warning system when West Nile virus arrives in an area (as are horses and other bird-species deaths). One of the first signs that West Nile virus first arrived in the US in 1999 was the death of crows in New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
Relationship with humans
Several different corvids, particularly raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
s, have occasionally served as pets
A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence, ...
, although they are not able to speak as readily as parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoid ...
s, and are not suited to a caged environment.
It is illegal to own corvids, or any other migratory bird
Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between Breeding in the wild, breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Animal migration, Migration carries high costs in predation a ...
, without a permit in North America, due to the Migratory Bird Act
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), codified at (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1918 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Canada . ...
.
Humans have been able to coexist with many members of the Corvidae family throughout history, most notably crows
The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) is a series of remote weapon stations used by the US military on its armored vehicles and ships. It allows weapon operators to engage targets without leaving the protection of their vehicle. T ...
and raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
s (see: “Role in myth and culture” section below). These positive interactions have extended into modern times.
Role in myth and culture
Folklore often represents corvids as clever, and even mystical, animals. Some Native Americans, such as the Haida
Haida may refer to:
Places
* Haida, an old name for Nový Bor
* Haida Gwaii, meaning "Islands of the People", formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands
* Haida Islands, a different archipelago near Bella Bella, British Columbia
Ships
* , a 1 ...
, believed that a raven created the earth, and despite being a trickster spirit, ravens were popular on totems
A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.
While ''the wo ...
, credited with creating man, and considered responsible for placing the Sun in the sky.
Due to their carrion
Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh.
Overview
Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...
diet, the Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
peoples strongly associated corvids with war, death, and the battlefield; their great intelligence meant that they were often considered messengers, or manifestations of the gods, such as Bendigeidfran (Welsh for “Blessed Crow”) or the Irish Morrigan (Middle Irish for “Great Queen”), both who were underworld deities
The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...
that may be related to the later Arthurian Fisher King
The Fisher King is a figure in Arthurian legend, the last in a long line of British kings tasked with guarding the Holy Grail. The Fisher King is both the protector and physical embodiment of his lands, but a wound renders him incapable and hi ...
. The Welsh '' Dream of Rhonabwy'' illustrates well the association of ravens with war. In many parts of Britain, gatherings of crows, or more often magpies, are counted using the divination rhyme: “''one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told.”'' Another rhyme is: “''one for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a funeral, four for a birth, five for heaven, six for hell, and seven for the Devil, his own sel.”'' Cornish superstition holds that when a lone magpie is encountered, it must be loudly greeted with respect.
Various Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and ear ...
highly revered the raven, and the raven was often depicted as a motif on shields or other war gear in Anglo-Saxon art
Anglo-Saxon art covers art produced within the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, beginning with the Migration period style that the Anglo-Saxons brought with them from the continent in the 5th century, and ending in 1066 with the Norma ...
, such as the Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo is the site of two early medieval cemeteries dating from the 6th to 7th centuries near the English town of Woodbridge. Archaeologists have been excavating the area since 1938, when a previously undisturbed ship burial containing a ...
burial, and Vendel period
In Swedish prehistory, the Vendel Period ( sv, Vendeltiden; 540–790 AD) appears between the Migration Period and the Viking Age. The name is taken from the rich boat inhumation cemetery at Vendel parish church, Uppland. This is a period wit ...
art. The major deity, Odin
Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
, was so commonly associated with ravens throughout history that he gained the kenning
A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech in the type of circumlocution, a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English po ...
“Raven God,” and the raven banner
The raven banner ( non, hrafnsmerki ; enm, hravenlandeye) was a flag, possibly totemic in nature, flown by various Viking chieftains and other Scandinavian rulers during the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries. The flag, as depicted in Norse artwork, ...
was the flag of various Viking Age
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...
Scandinavian chieftains. Odin was also attended by Hugin and Munin
In Norse mythology, Huginn (Old Norse: "thought"Orchard (1997:92).) and Muninn (Old Norse "memory"Orchard (1997:115). or "mind"Lindow (2001:186).) are a pair of ravens that fly all over the world, Midgard, and bring information to the god Odin. H ...
, two ravens
Ravens may refer to:
* Raven, a species of the genus ''Corvus''
Sports
* Anderson Ravens, the intercollegiate athletic program of Anderson University in Indiana
* Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football franchise
* Benedictine Ravens, ...
who flew all over the world, and whispered information they acquired into his ears.[ The ]Valravn
In Danish folklore, a valravn ( Danish "raven of the slain") is a supernatural raven. Those ravens appear in traditional Danish folksongs, where they are described as originating from ravens who consume the bodies of the dead on the battlefield, a ...
sometimes appeared in modern Scandinavian folklore. On a shield and purse lid excavated among the Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo is the site of two early medieval cemeteries dating from the 6th to 7th centuries near the English town of Woodbridge. Archaeologists have been excavating the area since 1938, when a previously undisturbed ship burial containing a ...
treasures, imagery of stylised corvids with scrolled beaks are meticulously detailed in the decorative enamel work. The corvid symbolism reflected their common totemic
A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.
While ''the wo ...
status to the Anglo-Saxons, whose pre-Christian indigenous beliefs were of the same origin as that of the aforementioned Vikings.
The sixth century BCE Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
scribe Aesop
Aesop ( or ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales cre ...
featured corvids as intelligent antagonists in many fables. Later, in western literature, popularized by American poet Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
's work "The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myste ...
", the common raven
The common raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raven known by many names at the subspecies level; there are at least e ...
becomes a symbol of the main character's descent into madness.
The children's book ''Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
''Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH'' is a 1971 children's science fiction/fantasy book by Robert C. O'Brien, with illustrations by Zena Bernstein. The novel was published by the New York City publishing house Atheneum Books.
This book was the ...
'' and its animated film adaptation features a protagonist crow named Jeremy.
Status and conservation
Unlike many other bird families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...
, corvid fitness and reproduction, especially with many crows, has increased due to human development. The survival and reproductive success of certain crows and ravens is assisted by their close relationship with humans.
Human development provides additional resources by clearing land, creating shrublands rich in berries and insects. When the cleared land naturally replenishes, jays and crows use the young dense trees for nesting sites. Ravens typically use larger trees in denser forest.
Despite the fact that most corvids are not threatened (many even increasing due to human activity) a few species are in danger. For example, the destruction of the Southeast Asian rainforest is endangering mixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging. These ar ...
s with members from the family Corvidae.[ Also, since its ]semiarid
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
scrubland habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is an endangered ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
, the Florida scrub jay
The Florida scrub jay (''Aphelocoma coerulescens'') is one of the species of Aphelocoma, scrub jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird Endemism in birds, endemic to the U.S. state of Florida and one of only 15 species endemic ...
has a small and declining population.[ A number of island species, which are more vulnerable to ]introduced species
An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...
and habitat loss, have been driven to extinction, such as the New Zealand raven
The New Zealand raven (''Corvus antipodum'') was native to the North Island and South Island of New Zealand but has been extinct since the 16th century. There were two subspecies: the North Island raven (''Corvus antipodum antipodum'') and the So ...
, or are threatened, like the Mariana crow
The Mariana crow (''Corvus kubaryi'') (Chamorro name: ''aga'') is a species of the crow family from the South Pacific. It is a glossy black bird about long and known only from the islands of Guam and Rota.
It is a rare bird which has steadily ...
.
The American crow
The American crow (''Corvus brachyrhynchos'') is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America. American crows are the New World counterpart to the carrion crow of Europe and th ...
population of the United States has grown over the years. It is possible that the American crow, due to humans increasing suitable habitat, will cause Northwestern crow
The American crow (''Corvus brachyrhynchos'') is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America. American crows are the New World counterpart to the carrion crow of Europe and th ...
s and fish crow
The fish crow (''Corvus ossifragus'') is a species of crow associated with wetland habitats in the eastern and southeastern United States.
Taxonomy and etymology
The fish crow was given its binomial name by the Scottish ornithologist Alexa ...
s to decline.[
]
Species
FAMILY CORVIDAE
*Chough
There are two species of passerine birds commonly called chough ( ) that constitute the genus ''Pyrrhocorax'' of the Corvidae (crow) family of birds. These are the red-billed chough (''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), and the Alpine chough (or yellow- ...
s
**Genus '' Pyrrhocorax''
***Alpine chough
The Alpine chough (), or yellow-billed chough (''Pyrrhocorax graculus'') is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus '' Pyrrhocorax''. Its two subspecies breed in high mountains from Spain eastwards through southern Europ ...
, ''Pyrrhocorax graculus''
***Red-billed chough
The red-billed chough, Cornish chough or simply chough ( ; ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus '' Pyrrhocorax''. Its eight subspecies breed on mountains and coastal cliffs from the we ...
, ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''
*Treepie
The treepies (known also as crypsirinines from the subfamily's name, ''Crypsirininae'') comprise four closely related genera (''Dendrocitta, Crypsirina, Temnurus'' and ''Platysmurus'') of long-tailed passerine birds in the family Corvidae. There ...
s
**Genus ''Crypsirina
'' Crypsirina '' is a small genus of long-tailed passerine birds in the crow and jay family, Corvidae. The two species are highly arboreal and rarely come to the ground to feed. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ''kruptō'', meani ...
''
***Hooded treepie
The hooded treepie (''Crypsirina cucullata'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
It is endemic to Myanmar.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
It is threaten ...
, ''Crypsirina cucullata''
***Racket-tailed treepie
The racket-tailed treepie (''Crypsirina temia'') is an Asian treepie, a member of the crow family, Corvidae.
It has a velvety-black forehead of short, plush black feathers with the rest of the bird being an oily green colour, though appearing ...
, ''Crypsirina temia''
**Genus ''Dendrocitta
''Dendrocitta'' is a genus of long-tailed passerine birds in the crow and jay family, Corvidae. They are resident in tropical South and Southeast Asia. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ''dendron'', meaning "tree," and ''kitta'', m ...
''
***Andaman treepie
The Andaman treepie (''Dendrocitta bayleyii'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. First described by Robert Christopher Tytler in 1863, it is endemic to the Andaman Islands of India, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical ...
, ''Dendrocitta bayleyi''
***Bornean treepie
The Bornean treepie (''Dendrocitta cinerascens'') is a passerine bird belonging to the treepies genus, ''Dendrocitta'', of in the crow family, Corvidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the Sumatra ...
, ''Dendrocitta cinerascens''
***Grey treepie
The grey treepie (''Dendrocitta formosae''), also known as the Himalayan treepie, is an Asian treepie, a medium-sized and long-tailed member of the Corvidae, crow family (biology), family. The species was Species description, first described by R ...
, ''Dendrocitta formosae''
*** Collared treepie, ''Dendrocitta frontalis''
***White-bellied treepie
The white-bellied treepie (''Dendrocitta leucogastra'') is a bird of the crow family endemic to the forests of southern India. They overlap in distribution in some areas with the rufous treepie but are easy to tell apart both from appearance and ...
, ''Dendrocitta leucogastra''
***Sumatran treepie
The Sumatran treepie or Sunda treepie (''Dendrocitta occipitalis'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Its natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array o ...
, ''Dendrocitta occipitalis''
***Rufous treepie
The rufous treepie (''Dendrocitta vagabunda'') is a treepie, native to the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspi ...
, ''Dendrocitta vagabunda''
**Genus ''Platysmurus
''Platysmurus'' is a genus of treepie in the family Corvidae.
It contains the following species:
* Malayan black magpie (''Platysmurus leucopterus'')
* Bornean black magpie
The Bornean black magpie (''Platysmurus aterrimus''), also known as th ...
''
***Malayan black magpie
The Malayan black magpie (''Platysmurus leucopterus'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. Despite its name, it is neither a magpie nor, as was long believed, a jay, but a treepie. Treepies are a distinct group of corvids externally si ...
, ''Platysmurus leucopterus''
***Bornean black magpie
The Bornean black magpie (''Platysmurus aterrimus''), also known as the black crested magpie, is a treepie in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo.
Taxonomy
The Bornean black magpie was formerly considered a ...
, ''Platysmurus aterrimus''
**Genus '' Temnurus''
***Ratchet-tailed treepie
The ratchet-tailed treepie (''Temnurus temnurus'') is a species of bird in the crow and jay family Corvidae. The species is also known as the notch-tailed treepie. It is monotypic within the genus ''Temnurus''.
The species has a disjunct distr ...
, ''Temnurus temnurus''
*Oriental magpie
Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...
s
**Genus '' Cissa''
***Common green magpie
The common green magpie (''Cissa chinensis'') is a member of the Corvidae, crow family, roughly about the size of the Eurasian jay or slightly smaller. In the wild specimens are usually a bright green colour (often fades to turquoise in captivit ...
, ''Cissa chinensis''
***Indochinese green magpie
The Indochinese green magpie (''Cissa hypoleuca'') or yellow-breasted magpie, is a passerine bird of the crow family, Corvidae. It is native to mainland southeast Asia (Indochina) and adjacent China.
This species' yellow undersides make it dist ...
, ''Cissa hypoleuca''
***Javan green magpie
The Javan green magpie (''Cissa thalassina'') is a passerine bird in the crow family, Corvidae. This critically endangered species is endemic to montane forests on the Indonesian island of Java.Van Balen S et al., 2011. Biology, taxonomy and con ...
, ''Cissa thalassina''
***Bornean green magpie
The Bornean green magpie (''Cissa jefferyi'') is a passerine bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is endemic to montane forests on the southeast Asian island of Borneo.Van Balen S et al., 2011. Biology, taxonomy and conservation status of the Sh ...
, ''Cissa jefferyi''
**Genus ''Urocissa
''Urocissa'' is a genus of birds in the Corvidae, a family that contains the crows, jays, and magpies.
The genus was established by German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1850. The type species was subsequently designated as the red-billed blue m ...
''
***Taiwan blue magpie
The Taiwan blue magpie (''Urocissa caerulea''), also called the Taiwan magpie, Formosan blue magpie (), or the "long-tailed mountain lady" (; Taiwanese Hokkien: Tn̂g-boé soaⁿ-niû), is a bird species in the crow family. It is endemic to Taiwan ...
, ''Urocissa caerulea''
***Red-billed blue magpie
The red-billed blue magpie (''Urocissa erythroryncha'') is a species of bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is about the same size as the Eurasian magpie, but has a much longer tail, one of the longest of any corvid. It is long and weighs .
T ...
, ''Urocissa erythrorhyncha''
***Yellow-billed blue magpie
The yellow-billed blue magpie or gold-billed magpie (''Urocissa flavirostris'') is a passerine bird in the crow and jay family, Corvidae. It forms a superspecies with the Taiwan blue magpie and the red-billed blue magpie. The species ranges acro ...
, ''Urocissa flavirostris''
***Sri Lanka blue magpie
The Sri Lanka blue magpie or Ceylon magpie (''Urocissa ornata'') is a brightly coloured member of the family Corvidae, found exclusively in Sri Lanka. This species is adapted to hunting in the dense canopy, where it is highly active and nimble. I ...
, ''Urocissa ornata''
***White-winged magpie
The white-winged magpie or Hainan magpie (''Urocissa whiteheadi'') is a passerine bird of the crow family, Corvidae. It is unusual among the members of its genus in that it is black and white, lacking the blue plumage other ''Urocissa'' magpies ha ...
, ''Urocissa whiteheadi''
*Old World jay
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family (biology), family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For examp ...
s
**Genus ''Garrulus
''Garrulus'' is a genus of Old World jays, passerine birds in the family Corvidae.
Taxonomy and systematics
The genus was established by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The type species is the Eurasian jay (''Garrulus glandari ...
''
***Eurasian jay
The Eurasian jay (''Garrulus glandarius'') is a species of passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae. It has pinkish brown plumage with a black stripe on each side of a whitish throat, a bright blue panel on the upper wing and a black tail. The ...
, ''Garrulus glandarius''
***Black-headed jay
The black-headed jay or lanceolated jay (''Garrulus lanceolatus'') is roughly the same size as its close relative the Eurasian jay, but a little more slender overall except for the bill which is slightly shorter and thicker. The top of the head ...
, ''Garrulus lanceolatus''
***Lidth's jay
Lidth's jay (''Garrulus lidthi'') or the Amami jay, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to Japan.
Measuring up to in total length,Podoces
The ground jays or ground choughs belong to a distinct group of the passerine order of birds in the genus ''Podoces'' of the crow family Corvidae. They inhabit high altitude semi-desert areas from central Asia to Mongolia.
Ground jays show adapt ...
'' – ground jays
***Xinjiang ground jay
Xinjiang ground jay (''Podoces biddulphi'') or Biddulph's ground jay, is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to China. It is not larger than an adult human's hand and has a brownish white coat of feathers.
Since 2004, the Int ...
, ''Podoces biddulphi''
***Mongolian ground jay
The Mongolian ground jay (''Podoces hendersoni'') or Henderson's ground jay, is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
Description
The bird is light tan with iridescent blue on its primary feathers. It has a long, curved beak and a black stri ...
, ''Podoces hendersoni''
***Turkestan ground jay
The Turkestan ground jay, grey ground jay or Pander's ground-jay (''Podoces panderi'') is a species of bird in the crow and jay family, Corvidae. It is found in central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. More specifical ...
, ''Podoces panderi''
***Iranian ground jay
The Iranian ground jay (''Podoces pleskei'') or Pleske's ground jay, is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to Iran where it is known as Zaqboor in Farsi
Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Weste ...
, ''Podoces pleskei''
*Piapiac
**Genus '' Ptilostomus''
***Piapiac
The piapiac (''Ptilostomus afer'') is an African bird in the crow family, and is the only member of the genus ''Ptilostomus''. According to recent findings, it is most closely related to the Central Asian ground jays.
Taxonomy
In 1760 the French ...
, ''Ptilostomus afer''
*Stresemann's bushcrow
**Genus '' Zavattariornis''
***Stresemann's bushcrow
Stresemann's bushcrow (''Zavattariornis stresemanni''), also known as the Abyssinian pie, bush crow, Ethiopian bushcrow, or by its generic name ''Zavattariornis'', is a rather starling-like bird, which is currently thought to be member of the cr ...
, ''Zavattariornis stresemanni''
*Nutcrackers
A nutcracker is a tool designed to open nuts by cracking their shells. There are many designs, including levers, screws, and ratchets. The lever version is also used for cracking lobster and crab shells.
A decorative version portrays a person w ...
**Genus ''Nucifraga
The nutcrackers (''Nucifraga'') are a genus of three species of passerine bird, in the family Corvidae, related to the jays and crows.
The genus ''Nucifraga'' was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the spott ...
''
***Spotted nutcracker
The spotted nutcracker, Eurasian nutcracker, or simply nutcracker (''Nucifraga caryocatactes'') is a passerine bird slightly larger than the Eurasian jay. It has a much larger bill and a slimmer looking head without any crest. The feathering over ...
, ''Nucifraga caryocatactes''
***Kashmir nutcracker
The Kashmir nutcracker or large-spotted nutcracker (''Nucifraga multipunctata'') is a passerine bird related to the spotted nutcracker. Until recently, it was considered a subspecies. It is found in the western Himalayas.
Taxonomy and systemat ...
, ''Nucifraga multipunctata''
***Clark's nutcracker
Clark's nutcracker (''Nucifraga columbiana''), sometimes referred to as Clark's crow or woodpecker crow, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to the mountains of western North America. The nutcracker is an omnivore, but subsists mai ...
, ''Nucifraga columbiana''
*Holarctic magpie
Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...
s
**Genus '' Pica''
***Black-billed magpie
The black-billed magpie (''Pica hudsonia''), also known as the American magpie, is a bird in the corvid family found in the western half of North America. It is black and white, with black areas on the wings and tail showing iridescent hints o ...
, ''Pica hudsonia''
***Yellow-billed magpie
The yellow-billed magpie ''(Pica nuttalli)'', also known as the California magpie, is a large bird in the crow family that is restricted to the U.S. state of California. It inhabits the Central Valley and the adjacent chaparral foothills and m ...
, ''Pica nuttalli''
***Eurasian magpie
The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (''Pica pica'') is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic ra ...
, ''Pica pica''
****Korean magpie
The Oriental magpie (''Pica serica'') is a species of magpie found from south-eastern Russia and Myanmar to eastern China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and northern Indochina. It is also a common symbol of the Korean identity, and has been adopted as t ...
, ''Pica (pica) serica''
**Genus ''Cyanopica
''Cyanopica'' is a genus of magpie in the family Corvidae. They belong to a common lineage with the genus ''Perisoreus''. The generic name is derived from the Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch o ...
''
***Azure-winged magpie
The azure-winged magpie (''Cyanopica cyanus'') is a bird in the crow family. It is 31–35 cm long and similar in overall shape to the Eurasian magpie (''Pica pica'') but is more slender with proportionately smaller legs and bill. It belong ...
, ''Cyanopica cyanus''
***Iberian magpie
The Iberian magpie (''Cyanopica cooki'') is a bird in the crow family. It is long and similar in overall shape to the Eurasian magpie (''Pica pica'') but is more slender with proportionately smaller legs and bill. It belongs to the genus ''Cyan ...
, ''Cyanopica cooki''
*True crows (crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifical ...
s, raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
s, jackdaw
Jackdaws are two species of bird in the genus ''Coloeus'' closely related to, but generally smaller than, the crows and ravens (''Corvus''). ''Coloeus'' is sometimes treated as a subgenus of ''Corvus'', including by the IUCN.Madge & Burn (1994) ...
s and rooks
Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'') is a bird of the corvid family. Rook or rooks may also refer to:
Games
*Rook (chess), a piece in chess
*Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game
Military
*Sukhoi Su-25 or Rook, a close air support aircraft
* USS ...
)
**Genus ''Corvus
''Corvus'' is a widely distributed genus of medium-sized to large birds in the family Corvidae. It includes species commonly known as crows, ravens and Rook (bird), rooks. The species commonly encountered in Europe are the carrion crow, the hoo ...
''
***''Australian and Melanesian'' species
****Little crow
Little Crow III (Dakota: ''Thaóyate Dúta''; 1810 – July 3, 1863) was a Mdewakanton Dakota chief who led a faction of the Dakota in a five-week war against the United States in 1862.
In 1846, after surviving a violent leadership contest ...
, ''Corvus bennetti''
****Australian raven
The Australian raven (''Corvus coronoides'') is a passerine bird in the genus ''Corvus'' native to much of southern and northeastern Australia. Measuring in length, it has all-black plumage, beak and mouth, as well as strong grey-black legs and ...
, ''Corvus coronoides''
****Bismarck crow
The Bismarck crow (''Corvus insularis'') is a species of crow found in the Bismarck Archipelago. It was considered by many authorities to be a subspecies of the Torresian crow (''C. orru''), but is now treated as a distinct species.
References
...
, ''Corvus insularis''
****Brown-headed crow
The brown-headed crow (''Corvus fuscicapillus'') is a passerine bird of the genus ''Corvus'' in the family Corvidae. Endemic to Indonesia, it has a fragmented distribution in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropica ...
, ''Corvus fuscicapillus''
****Bougainville crow
The Bougainville crow (''Corvus meeki'') is a species of bird in the crow family, Corvidae.
It is found in on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea and the neighbouring Shortland Islands in the Solomon Islands. Within its range it is t ...
, ''Corvus meeki''
****Little raven
The little raven (''Corvus mellori'') is a species of the family Corvidae that is native to southeastern Australia. An adult individual is about in length, with completely black plumage, beak, and legs; as with all Australian species of ''Corv ...
, ''Corvus mellori''
****New Caledonian crow
The New Caledonian crow (''Corvus moneduloides'') is a medium-sized member of the family Corvidae, native to New Caledonia. The bird is often referred to as the 'qua-qua' due to its distinctive call. It eats a wide range of food, including many ...
, ''Corvus moneduloides''
****Torresian crow
The Torresian crow (''Corvus orru''), also called the Australian crow or Papuan crow, is a passerine bird in the crow family native to the north and west of Australia and nearby islands in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The species has a black ...
, ''Corvus orru''
****Forest raven
The forest raven (''Corvus tasmanicus''), also commonly known as the Tasmanian raven, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae native to Tasmania and parts of southern Victoria, such as Wilsons Promontory and Portland. Populations are also fou ...
, ''Corvus tasmanicus''
*****Relict raven
The forest raven (''Corvus tasmanicus''), also commonly known as the Tasmanian raven, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae native to Tasmania and parts of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, such as Wilsons Promontory and Portland, Vi ...
, ''Corvus (tasmanicus) boreus''
****Grey crow
The gray crow (''Corvus tristis''), formerly known as the bare-faced crow, is about the same size (42–45 cm in length) as the Eurasian carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') but has somewhat different proportions and quite atypical feather pig ...
, ''Corvus tristis''
****Long-billed crow
The long-billed crow (''Corvus validus'') is a crow that is endemic to the Northern Maluku Islands. This crow is large with glossy plumage, a large bill and white irises. It is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as ...
, ''Corvus validus''
****White-billed crow
The white-billed crow (''Corvus woodfordi'') is a member of the crow family found on the Solomon Islands.
Description
It is a short and stocky forest bird (40–41 cm in length) with a short, squared-off tail and a relatively large head w ...
, ''Corvus woodfordi''
***''Pacific island'' species
**** Alalā (Hawaiian crow), ''Corvus hawaiiensis'' (formerly ''Corvus tropicus'') (extinct in the wild
A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as known only by living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range due ...
)
****Mariana crow
The Mariana crow (''Corvus kubaryi'') (Chamorro name: ''aga'') is a species of the crow family from the South Pacific. It is a glossy black bird about long and known only from the islands of Guam and Rota.
It is a rare bird which has steadily ...
, ''Corvus kubaryi''
***''Tropical Asian'' species
****Daurian jackdaw
The Daurian jackdaw (''Coloeus dauuricus'') is a bird in the crow family, Corvidae, native to eastern Asia. It is closely related to the western jackdaw. The name derives from the Dauria region of eastern Russia.
Description
At about in length ...
, ''Corvus dauuricus''
****Slender-billed crow
The slender-billed crow (''Corvus enca'') is a Passerine bird of the family Corvidae, in the genus ''Corvus''. The violet crow has been found to be distinct genetically and separated as ''Corvus violaceus''. The small crow has been split as '' ...
, ''Corvus enca''
****Palawan crow
The Palawan crow (''Corvus pusillus'') is a Passerine bird of the family Corvidae, in the genus ''Corvus''. It was previously considered a subspecies of the slender-billed crow (''Corvus enca''), but phylogenetic evidence indicates that both ar ...
, ''Corvus pusillus''
****Flores crow
The Flores crow (''Corvus florensis'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
It is endemic to Indonesia.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by hab ...
, ''Corvus florensis''
****Large-billed crow
The large-billed crow (''Corvus macrorhynchos''), formerly referred to widely as the jungle crow, is a widespread Asian species of crow. It is very adaptable and is able to survive on a wide range of food sources, making it capable of colonizing ...
, ''Corvus macrorhynchos''
****Eastern jungle crow
The eastern jungle crow (''Corvus levaillantii'') is a bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in China, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, and Thailand.
References
External linksEastern jungle crow soundson xeno-canto.
Corvus
Birds ...
, ''Corvus levaillantii''
****Indian jungle crow
The Indian jungle crow (''Corvus culminatus'') is a species of crow found across the Indian Subcontinent south of the Himalayas. It is very common and readily distinguished from the house crow (''Corvus splendens''), which has a grey neck. In the ...
, ''Corvus culminatus''
****House crow
The house crow (''Corvus splendens''), also known as the Indian, greynecked, Ceylon or Colombo crow, is a common bird of the crow family that is of Asian origin but now found in many parts of the world, where they arrived assisted by shipping. I ...
, ''Corvus splendens''
****Collared crow
The collared crow (''Corvus torquatus''), also known as the ring-necked crow or white-collared crow, is a member of the family Corvidae native to China and north of Vietnam.
Description
It is about 52–55 cm in length—the same size or sl ...
, ''Corvus torquatus''
****Piping crow
The piping crow (''Corvus typicus'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TS ...
, ''Corvus typicus''
**** Banggai crow, ''Corvus unicolor''
***''Eurasian and North African'' species
****Hooded crow
The hooded crow (''Corvus cornix''), also called the scald-crow or hoodie, is a Eurasian bird species in the genus ''Corvus''. Widely distributed, it is found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle Eas ...
, ''Corvus cornix''
*****Mesopotamian crow
The hooded crow (''Corvus cornix''), also called the scald-crow or hoodie, is a Eurasian bird species in the genus ''Corvus''. Widely distributed, it is found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle Eas ...
, ''Corvus (cornix) capellanus''
**** Carrion crow (western carrion crow), ''Corvus corone''
*****Eastern carrion crow
The eastern carrion crow (''Corvus corone orientalis'', originally a separate species ''C.orientalis'') is a member of the crow family and a subspecies of the carrion crow
The carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') is a passerine bird of the fam ...
, ''Corvus (corone) orientalis''
****Rook
Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'') is a bird of the corvid family. Rook or rooks may also refer to:
Games
*Rook (chess), a piece in chess
*Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game
Military
* Sukhoi Su-25 or Rook, a close air support aircraft
* USS ...
, ''Corvus frugilegus''
****Western jackdaw
The western jackdaw (''Coloeus monedula''), also known as the Eurasian jackdaw, the European jackdaw, or simply the jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa; it is mostly resident, alt ...
, ''Corvus monedula''
****Fan-tailed raven
The fan-tailed raven (''Corvus rhipidurus'') is a passerine bird of the crow family native to Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Description
The fan-tailed raven is completely black including bill, legs and feet and the plumage has a pur ...
, ''Corvus rhipidurus''
****Brown-necked raven
The brown-necked raven (''Corvus ruficollis'') is a larger bird (52–56 cm in length) than the carrion crow though not as large as the common raven. It has similar proportions to the common raven but the bill is not so large or deep and the ...
, ''Corvus ruficollis''
***''Holarctic'' species
****Common raven
The common raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raven known by many names at the subspecies level; there are at least e ...
, ''Corvus corax'' (see also next section)
*****Pied raven
The pied raven (''Corvus corax varius'' morpha ''leucophaeus'') is an extinct colour morph of the North Atlantic subspecies of the common raven which was only found on the Faroe Islands and was last seen in 1902. It had large areas of white feath ...
, ''Corvus corax varius'' morpha ''leucophaeus'' (an extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
color variant)
***''North and Central American'' species
****American crow
The American crow (''Corvus brachyrhynchos'') is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America. American crows are the New World counterpart to the carrion crow of Europe and th ...
, ''Corvus brachyrhynchos''
*****Northwestern crow
The American crow (''Corvus brachyrhynchos'') is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America. American crows are the New World counterpart to the carrion crow of Europe and th ...
, ''Corvus brachyrhynchos caurinus''
****Chihuahuan raven
The Chihuahuan raven (''Corvus cryptoleucus'') is a species of crow in the family Corvidae that is native to the United States and Mexico. Description
The proportions resemble the common raven with a heavy bill, but is about the same size as a c ...
, ''Corvus cryptoleucus''
****Tamaulipas crow
The Tamaulipas crow (''Corvus imparatus'') is a crow found in northeastern Mexico and southern Texas.
Description
It is a relatively small and sleek looking crow, in length. It has very glossy dark, bluish plumage, which appears soft and silky ...
, ''Corvus imparatus''
****Jamaican crow
The Jamaican crow (''Corvus jamaicensis'') is a comparatively small corvid (35–38 cm in length). It shares several key morphological features with two other West Indian species, the Cuban crow (''Corvus nasicus'') and the white-necked crow ...
, ''Corvus jamaicensis''
****White-necked crow
The white-necked crow (''Corvus leucognaphalus'') is the largest of the four Caribbean corvids. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic); it was formerly also extant on Puerto Rico, but has been ...
, ''Corvus leucognaphalus''
****Cuban crow
The Cuban crow (''Corvus nasicus'') is one of four species of crow that occur on islands in the Caribbean. It is closely related to the white-necked crow (''C. leucognaphalus'') and Jamaican crow (''C. jamaicensis''), with which it shares similar ...
, ''Corvus nasicus''
****Fish crow
The fish crow (''Corvus ossifragus'') is a species of crow associated with wetland habitats in the eastern and southeastern United States.
Taxonomy and etymology
The fish crow was given its binomial name by the Scottish ornithologist Alexa ...
, ''Corvus ossifragus''
****Palm crow
The palm crow (''Corvus palmarum'') is a relatively small corvid that occurs on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola ( Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Cuba, where it was formerly very frequent, but is now reduced in population.
Taxonomy
Th ...
, ''Corvus palmarum''
****Sinaloa crow
The Sinaloa crow (''Corvus sinaloae'') is a crow native to western Mexico. Description
Visually, it is nearly identical to and the same length (34–38 cm) as the Tamaulipas crow (''Corvus imparatus''). It has the same purple-glossed, silky, ...
, ''Corvus sinaloae''
****Western raven
The common raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raven known by many names at the subspecies level; there are at least e ...
, ''Corvus (corax) sinuatus''
***''Tropical African'' species
****White-necked raven
The white-necked raven (''Corvus albicollis'') is somewhat smaller (50–54 cm in length) than the common raven or its nearest relative, the thick-billed raven ''C. crassirostris''. It is native to eastern and southern Africa.
Descriptio ...
, ''Corvus albicollis''
****Pied crow
The pied crow (''Corvus albus'') is a widely distributed African bird species in the crow genus.
Structurally, the pied crow is better thought of as a small crow-sized raven, especially as it can hybridise with the Somali crow (dwarf raven) wher ...
, ''Corvus albus''
****Cape crow
The Cape crow or black crow (''Corvus capensis'') is slightly larger (48–50 cm in length) than the carrion crow and is completely black with a slight gloss of purple in its feathers. It has proportionately longer legs, wings and tail too an ...
, ''Corvus capensis''
****Thick-billed raven
The thick-billed raven (''Corvus crassirostris''), a corvid from the Horn of Africa, shares with the common raven the distinction of being the largest bird in the corvid family, and indeed the largest of the passerines. The thick-billed raven a ...
, ''Corvus crassirostris''
**** Somali crow (dwarf raven), ''Corvus edithae''
*Boreal jay
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family (biology), family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For examp ...
s
**Genus ''Perisoreus
The genus ''Perisoreus'' is a very small genus of jays from the Boreal regions of North America and Eurasia from Scandinavia to the Asian seaboard. An isolated species also occurs in north-western Szechuan province of China. They belong to the ...
''
***Canada jay
The Canada jay (''Perisoreus canadensis''), also known as the gray jay, grey jay, camp robber, or whisky jack, is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae. It is found in boreal forests of North America north to the tree line, and in the Rock ...
, ''Perisoreus canadensis''
***Siberian jay
The Siberian jay (''Perisoreus infaustus'') is a small jay with a widespread distribution within the coniferous forests in North Eurasia. It has grey-brown plumage with a darker brown crown and a paler throat. It is rusty-red in a panel near the ...
, ''Perisoreus infaustus''
***Sichuan jay
The Sichuan jay (''Perisoreus internigrans'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to China. Taxonomy
It is one of three members of the genus ''Perisoreus'', the others being the Siberian jay, ''P. infaustus'', found from N ...
, ''Perisoreus internigrans''
*New World jay
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family (biology), family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For examp ...
s
**Genus ''Aphelocoma
The passerine birds of the genus ''Aphelocoma'' include the scrub jays and their relatives. They are New World jays found in Mexico, western Central America and the western United States, with an outlying population in Florida. This genus belong ...
'' – scrub-jays
***California scrub jay
The California scrub jay (''Aphelocoma californica'') is a species of scrub jay native to western North America. It ranges from southern British Columbia throughout California and western Nevada near Reno to west of the Sierra Nevada. The Cali ...
, ''Aphelocoma californica''
***Island scrub jay
The island scrub jay (''Aphelocoma insularis''), also known as the island jay or Santa Cruz jay, is a bird in the genus, '' Aphelocoma'', which is endemic to Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Southern California. Of the over 500 breeding bird sp ...
, ''Aphelocoma insularis''
***Woodhouse's scrub jay
Woodhouse's scrub jay (''Aphelocoma'' ''woodhouseii''), is a species of scrub jay native to western North America, ranging from southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho to central Mexico. Woodhouse's scrub jay was until recently considered the sam ...
, ''Aphelocoma woodhouseii''
***Florida scrub jay
The Florida scrub jay (''Aphelocoma coerulescens'') is one of the species of Aphelocoma, scrub jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird Endemism in birds, endemic to the U.S. state of Florida and one of only 15 species endemic ...
, ''Aphelocoma coerulescens''
***Mexican jay
The Mexican jay (''Aphelocoma wollweberi'')
Etymology: ''Aphelocoma'', from Latinized Ancient Greek ''apheles-'' (from ἀφελής-) "simple" + Latin ''coma'' (from Greek ''kome'' κόμη) "hair", in reference to the lack of striped or banded ...
, ''Aphelocoma wollweberi''
***Transvolcanic jay
The jay (''Aphelocoma ultramarina'') is a bird endemic to Mexico. Description
It is a medium-large (~120 g) passerine bird similar in size to most other jays, with a blue head, blue-gray mantle, blue wings and tail, gray breast and underparts. ...
, ''Aphelocoma ultramarina''
***Unicolored jay
The unicolored jay (''Aphelocoma unicolor'')
Etymology: ''Aphelocoma'', from Latinized Ancient Greek ''apheles-'' (from ἀφελής-) "simple" + Latin ''coma'' (from Greek ''kome'' κόμη) "hair", in reference to the lack of striped or banded ...
, ''Aphelocoma unicolor''
**Genus ''Calocitta
The magpie-jays are a genus, ''Calocitta'', of the family Corvidae (crow-like birds) native to the southern part of North America. Sometimes placed in the genus ''Cyanocorax''. The two known species are known to form hybrids.
The genus was intro ...
'' – magpie-jays
***Black-throated magpie-jay
The black-throated magpie-jay (''Calocitta colliei'') is a strikingly long-tailed magpie-jay of northwestern Mexico.
Taxonomy
The black-throated magpie-jay was formally described in 1829 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors from a sp ...
, ''Calocitta colliei''
***White-throated magpie-jay
The white-throated magpie-jay (''Calocitta formosa'') is a large Central American species of magpie-jay. It ranges in Pacific-slope thorn forest from Jalisco, Mexico to Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Magpie-jays are noisy, gregarious birds, often tr ...
, ''Calocitta formosa''
**Genus ''Cyanocitta
''Cyanocitta'' is a genus of birds in the family Corvidae, a family which contains the crows, jays and magpies. Established by Hugh Edwin Strickland in 1845, it contains the following species:
The name ''Cyanocitta'' is a combination of the Gr ...
''
***Blue jay
The blue jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident populations are a ...
, ''Cyanocitta cristata''
***Steller's jay
Steller's jay (''Cyanocitta stelleri'') is a bird native to western North America and the mountains of Central America, closely related to the blue jay found in eastern North America. It is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and pin ...
, ''Cyanocitta stelleri''
**Genus ''Cyanocorax
''Cyanocorax'' is a genus of New World jays, passerine birds in the family Corvidae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words κυανος (''kuanos''), meaning "dark blue," and κοραξ (''korax''), meaning "raven".
It contains severa ...
''
***Black-chested jay
The black-chested jay (''Cyanocorax affinis'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
Measuring long, this jay is easily recognized from its distinctive facial pattern and yellow eye. The head, face, and chest are mostly black with violet ...
, ''Cyanocorax affinis''
***Purplish-backed jay
The purplish-backed jay (''Cyanocorax beecheii'') is a bird of the crow family Corvidae, with purple feathers on its back, wings and tail, and black feathers elsewhere. It is endemic to northwestern Mexico where its habitat is mainly dry deciduou ...
, ''Cyanocorax beecheii''
***Azure jay
The azure jay (''Cyanocorax caeruleus'') (Brazilian Portuguese: ''Gralha-azul'', meaning ''blue jackdaw'') is a passeriform bird of the crow family, Corvidae. It is found in the Atlantic Forest, especially with '' Araucaria angustifolia'', in so ...
, ''Cyanocorax caeruleus''
*** Cayenne jay, ''Cyanocorax cayanus''
***Plush-crested jay
The plush-crested jay (''Cyanocorax chrysops'') is a jay of the family Corvidae (which includes the crows and their many allies). It is found in central-southern South America: in southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern ...
, ''Cyanocorax chrysops''
***Curl-crested jay
The curl-crested jay (''Cyanocorax cristatellus'') is a jay from South America.
This New World jay is a beautiful and large (35 cm/14 in overall) bird with predominantly dark blue back, an almost black head and neck, and snow-white chest a ...
, ''Cyanocorax cristatellus''
***Purplish jay
The purplish jay (''Cyanocorax cyanomelas'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
It is found in northern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay and southeastern Peru.
Its natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summ ...
, ''Cyanocorax cyanomelas''
*** White-naped jay, ''Cyanocorax cyanopogon''
*** Tufted jay, ''Cyanocorax dickeyi''
***Azure-naped jay
The azure-naped jay (''Cyanocorax heilprini'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical dry ...
, ''Cyanocorax heilprini''
***Bushy-crested jay
The bushy-crested jay (''Cyanocorax melanocyaneus'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in Central America, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest. T ...
, ''Cyanocorax melanocyaneus''
***White-tailed jay
The white-tailed jay (''Cyanocorax mystacalis'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It exhibi ...
, ''Cyanocorax mystacalis''
*** San Blas jay, ''Cyanocorax sanblasianus''
***Violaceous jay
The violaceous jay (''Cyanocorax violaceus'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and their allies.
It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropic ...
, ''Cyanocorax violaceus''
***Green jay
The green jay (''Cyanocorax luxuosus'') is a species of the New World jays, and is found in Central America. Adults are about long and variable in colour across their range; they usually have blue and black heads, green wings and mantle, bluish- ...
, ''Cyanocorax luxuosus''
***Inca jay
The Inca jay or querrequerre (''Cyanocorax yncas'') is a bird species of the New World jays, which is native to the Andes of South America.
Taxonomy
The Inca jay was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1775 ...
, ''Cyanocorax yncas''
***Yucatan jay
The Yucatan jay (''Cyanocorax yucatanicus'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae, the crows and their allies. It is native to the Yucatán Peninsula where its habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, plantations and cleared areas ...
, ''Cyanocorax yucatanicus''
**Genus ''Psilorhinus
The brown jay (''Psilorhinus morio'') is a large American jay which has the habitus of a magpie, but is slightly smaller and with a shorter tail, though the bill is larger.
It occurs from Mexico south into Central America on the Gulf slope. Th ...
''
***Brown jay
The brown jay (''Psilorhinus morio'') is a large American jay which has the habitus of a magpie, but is slightly smaller and with a shorter tail, though the bill is larger.
It occurs from Mexico south into Central America on the Gulf slope. T ...
, ''Psilorhinus morio''
**Genus ''Cyanolyca
''Cyanolyca'' is a genus of small jays found in humid highland forests in southern Mexico, Central America and the Andes in South America. All are largely blue and have a black mask. They also possess black bills and legs and are skulking birds. ...
''
***Silvery-throated jay
The silvery-throated jay (''Cyanolyca argentigula'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and western Panama. The IUCN has rated its conservation status as being of "least c ...
, ''Cyanolyca argentigula''
***Black-collared jay
The black-collared jay (''Cyanolyca armillata'') is a jay found in Andean forests in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It was formerly considered conspecific
Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a b ...
, ''Cyanolyca armillata''
***Azure-hooded jay
The azure-hooded jay (''Cyanolyca cucullata'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in Middle America. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. This species is known to have four subspecies. It ...
, ''Cyanolyca cucullata''
***White-throated jay
The white-throated jay (''Cyanolyca mirabilis''), also known as the Omiltemi jay, is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
It is endemic to the Sierra Madre del Sur ranges of Mexico.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist mont ...
, ''Cyanolyca mirabilis''
***Dwarf jay
The dwarf jay (''Cyanolyca nanus'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, specifically comprising an oak-pine mix. As its name would imply, this ...
, ''Cyanolyca nana''
***Beautiful jay
The beautiful jay (''Cyanolyca pulchra'') is a species of bird in the crow and jay family Corvidae. It is closely related to the azure-hooded jay, and the two species are considered sister species. The species is monotypic, having no subspecies. ...
, ''Cyanolyca pulchra''
***Black-throated jay
The black-throated jay (''Cyanolyca pumilo'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in Chiapas, Guatemala and Honduras. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
References
Cyanolyca, black ...
, ''Cyanolyca pumilo''
***Turquoise jay
The turquoise jay (''Cyanolyca turcosa'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae.
The turquoise jay is a vibrant blue jay with a black face mask and collar. It is found exclusively in South America throughout southern Colombia, Ecuador, and ...
, ''Cyanolyca turcosa''
***White-collared jay
The white-collared jay (''Cyanolyca viridicyanus'') is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in Andean forests in Peru and Bolivia. It was formerly considered conspecific with the black-collared jay
The black-collared jay (''Cy ...
, ''Cyanolyca viridicyana''
**Genus ''Gymnorhinus
The pinyon jay (''Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus'') is a species of jay, and is the only member of the genus ''Gymnorhinus''. Native to Western North America, the species ranges from central Oregon to northern Baja California, and eastward as far as ...
''
***Pinyon jay
The pinyon jay (''Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus'') is a species of jay, and is the only member of the genus ''Gymnorhinus''. Native to Western North America, the species ranges from central Oregon to northern Baja California, and eastward as far as ...
, ''Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus''
Explanatory notes
References
Further reading
* Charles Sibley
Charles Gald Sibley (August 7, 1917 – April 12, 1998) was an American ornithologist and molecular biologist. He had an immense influence on the scientific classification of birds, and the work that Sibley initiated has substantially altered our u ...
& (1991): ''Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution''. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. .
External links
Corvidae videos
on the Internet Bird Collection
corvids.de – Corvids-Literature-Database
Corvid Corner
A site about the Corvidae
AvesNoir
A site about corvids in art, culture, and literature.
Rooks reveal remarkable tool use
Clever New Caledonian crows can use three tools
Talking Eurasian magpie ''Pica pica''
Rare crow shows a talent for tool use
{{authority control
Bird families
Extant Miocene first appearances