[ 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 definitio ...
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. ...
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, 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 communications 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, ...
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 contexts. 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 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 neuros ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 o ...
, 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, cogniti ...
. 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 or ...
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 syste ...
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 o ...
. 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 or ...
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 Calif ...
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 man ...
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 an ...
, 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 ...
, and green jay. 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 man ...
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. ...
, 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.Lesle ...
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 t ...
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 orde ...
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, ...
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 s ...
, 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 v ...
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 scientifica ...
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 assigne ...
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 assigne ...
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 Psittacoide ...
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 and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...
, without a permit in North America, due to the Migratory Bird Act.
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. ...
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 assigne ...
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 ...
, believed that a raven created the earth, and despite being a trickster spirit, ravens were popular on totems, 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 ...
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 Foo ...
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 underworld. ...
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 Norman ...
, 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 ...
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 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, victory, ...
, 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 ...
“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 Germ ...
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. ...
, two ravens who flew all over the world, and whispered information they acquired into his ears.[ The Valravn 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 ...
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 ...
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 c ...
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 wid ...
'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 myst ...
", 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 ...
becomes a symbol of the main character's descent into madness.
The children's book '' Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH'' and its animated film adaptation features a protagonist crow named Jeremy.
Status and conservation
Unlike many other bird families, 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 are ...
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- ...
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 syst ...
, the Florida scrub jay
The Florida scrub jay (''Aphelocoma coerulescens'') is one of the species of scrub jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird endemic to the U.S. state of Florida and one of only 15 species endemic to the continental United State ...
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 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 an ...
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 crows 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 Alexan ...
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 yello ...
s
**Genus '' Pyrrhocorax''
*** Alpine chough, ''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 w ...
, ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''
* Treepies
**Genus '' Crypsirina''
*** Hooded treepie, ''Crypsirina cucullata''
*** Racket-tailed treepie, ''Crypsirina temia''
**Genus '' Dendrocitta''
*** Andaman treepie, ''Dendrocitta bayleyi''
*** Bornean treepie, ''Dendrocitta cinerascens''
*** Grey treepie, ''Dendrocitta formosae''
*** Collared treepie, ''Dendrocitta frontalis''
*** White-bellied treepie, ''Dendrocitta leucogastra''
*** Sumatran treepie, ''Dendrocitta occipitalis''
*** Rufous treepie, ''Dendrocitta vagabunda''
**Genus '' Platysmurus''
*** Malayan black magpie, ''Platysmurus leucopterus''
*** Bornean black magpie, ''Platysmurus aterrimus''
**Genus '' Temnurus''
*** Ratchet-tailed treepie, ''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 on ...
s
**Genus '' Cissa''
*** Common green magpie, ''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 disti ...
, ''Cissa hypoleuca''
*** Javan green magpie, ''Cissa thalassina''
*** Bornean green magpie, ''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 ...
''
***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, ''Urocissa flavirostris''
*** Sri Lanka blue magpie, ''Urocissa ornata''
*** White-winged magpie, ''Urocissa whiteheadi''
*Old World jays
**Genus '' Garrulus''
***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, ''Garrulus lanceolatus''
*** Lidth's jay, ''Garrulus lidthi''
**Genus '' Podoces'' – ground jays
*** Xinjiang ground jay, ''Podoces biddulphi''
*** Mongolian ground jay, ''Podoces hendersoni''
*** Turkestan ground jay, ''Podoces panderi''
*** Iranian ground jay, ''Podoces pleskei''
*Piapiac
**Genus '' Ptilostomus''
*** Piapiac, ''Ptilostomus afer''
*Stresemann's bushcrow
**Genus '' Zavattariornis''
*** Stresemann's bushcrow, ''Zavattariornis stresemanni''
* Nutcrackers
**Genus '' Nucifraga''
***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, ''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 on ...
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, ''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 ...
, ''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''
*** Azure-winged magpie, ''Cyanopica cyanus''
*** Iberian magpie, ''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 scientifica ...
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 assigne ...
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
The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' (russian: � ...
)
**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 rooks. The species commonly encountered in Europe are the carrion crow, the hooded crow ...
''
***''Australian and Melanesian'' species
**** Little crow, ''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 an ...
, ''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
The Torresian crow (''Corvus orru''), also called the Australian cro ...
, ''Corvus insularis''
**** Brown-headed crow, ''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 ...
, ''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 man ...
, ''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 bla ...
, ''Corvus orru''
**** Forest raven, ''Corvus tasmanicus''
***** Relict raven, ''Corvus (tasmanicus) boreus''
**** Grey crow, ''Corvus tristis''
**** Long-billed crow, ''Corvus validus''
**** White-billed crow, ''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 t ...
)
**** Mariana crow, ''Corvus kubaryi''
***''Tropical Asian'' species
**** Daurian jackdaw, ''Corvus dauuricus''
**** Slender-billed crow, ''Corvus enca''
**** Palawan crow, ''Corvus pusillus''
**** Flores crow, ''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
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of ...
, ''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. ...
, ''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, ''Corvus typicus''
**** Banggai crow, ''Corvus unicolor''
***''Eurasian and North African'' species
**** Hooded crow, ''Corvus cornix''
***** Mesopotamian crow, ''Corvus (cornix) capellanus''
**** Carrion crow (western carrion crow), ''Corvus corone''
***** Eastern carrion crow, ''Corvus (corone) orientalis''
**** Rook, ''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, a ...
, ''Corvus monedula''
**** Fan-tailed raven, ''Corvus rhipidurus''
**** Brown-necked raven, ''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 ...
, ''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 an ...
, ''Corvus brachyrhynchos''
***** Northwestern crow, ''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, ''Corvus imparatus''
**** Jamaican crow, ''Corvus jamaicensis''
**** White-necked crow, ''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 simil ...
, ''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 Alexan ...
, ''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
T ...
, ''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, ''Corvus albicollis''
**** Pied crow, ''Corvus albus''
**** Cape crow, ''Corvus capensis''
**** Thick-billed raven, ''Corvus crassirostris''
**** Somali crow (dwarf raven), ''Corvus edithae''
*Boreal jays
**Genus '' Perisoreus''
***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 Ro ...
, ''Perisoreus canadensis''
*** Siberian jay, ''Perisoreus infaustus''
*** Sichuan jay, ''Perisoreus internigrans''
*New World jays
**Genus '' Aphelocoma'' – 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 Calif ...
, ''Aphelocoma californica''
*** Island scrub jay, ''Aphelocoma insularis''
*** Woodhouse's scrub jay, ''Aphelocoma woodhouseii''
***Florida scrub jay
The Florida scrub jay (''Aphelocoma coerulescens'') is one of the species of scrub jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird endemic to the U.S. state of Florida and one of only 15 species endemic to the continental United State ...
, ''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, ''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'' – magpie-jays
*** Black-throated magpie-jay, ''Calocitta colliei''
*** White-throated magpie-jay, ''Calocitta formosa''
**Genus '' Cyanocitta''
***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 ...
, ''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 p ...
, ''Cyanocitta stelleri''
**Genus '' Cyanocorax''
*** Black-chested jay, ''Cyanocorax affinis''
*** Purplish-backed jay, ''Cyanocorax beecheii''
*** Azure jay, ''Cyanocorax caeruleus''
*** Cayenne jay, ''Cyanocorax cayanus''
*** Plush-crested jay, ''Cyanocorax chrysops''
*** Curl-crested jay, ''Cyanocorax cristatellus''
*** Purplish jay, ''Cyanocorax cyanomelas''
*** White-naped jay, ''Cyanocorax cyanopogon''
*** Tufted jay, ''Cyanocorax dickeyi''
*** Azure-naped jay, ''Cyanocorax heilprini''
*** Bushy-crested jay, ''Cyanocorax melanocyaneus''
*** White-tailed jay, ''Cyanocorax mystacalis''
*** San Blas jay, ''Cyanocorax sanblasianus''
*** Violaceous jay, ''Cyanocorax violaceus''
*** Green jay, ''Cyanocorax luxuosus''
*** Inca jay, ''Cyanocorax yncas''
*** Yucatan jay, ''Cyanocorax yucatanicus''
**Genus '' Psilorhinus''
*** Brown jay, ''Psilorhinus morio''
**Genus '' Cyanolyca''
*** Silvery-throated jay, ''Cyanolyca argentigula''
*** Black-collared jay, ''Cyanolyca armillata''
*** Azure-hooded jay, ''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, ''Cyanolyca nana''
*** Beautiful jay, ''Cyanolyca pulchra''
*** Black-throated jay, ''Cyanolyca pumilo''
*** Turquoise jay, ''Cyanolyca turcosa''
*** White-collared jay, ''Cyanolyca viridicyana''
**Genus '' Gymnorhinus''
*** Pinyon jay, ''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