Are there female black crows? Interesting world of nature: raven and crow. Where do crows live?

It is generally accepted that the carrion crow and the common carrion are the same birds, female and male, but this is a misconception. The female crow is a crow, and the crow is a separate species. Moreover, both representatives belong to the same family of corvids. These birds have many differences, although they are similar in a number of characteristics. This is especially true for the behavior and color of plumage, so it is quite difficult to distinguish them with the naked eye.

The common raven is recognizable by its mass, powerful beak and throat feathers. The weight of the bird ranges from 800 to 1600 g, less often reaching 2 kg. Length - about 70 cm, wingspan twice as large - about one and a half meters. The beak is sharp and long. The coloring of the body and wings combines tints of rich black color.

Habitat: forest; you rarely see the bird in urban areas. There, crows often live in pairs. Before wintering, in mid-autumn, they unite in flocks to fly to warmer regions. By the way, if in summer a bird prefers the forest, then in winter time he is more willing to reach out to a person and moves closer to where he can easily get food. As a rule, these are rubbish heaps, cemeteries, landfills.

Among the varieties of raven, there are gray, white-billed, New Koledonsky, Antillean, white-cheeked.

Black Crow: description and characteristics

The bird got its name due to the black coloring of all parts of the body: beak, eyes, feathers, body, wings, paws. The bird lives in Central and Western Europe, eastern Siberia and the Far East.

Unlike Raven, she prefers to live in flocks rather than alone or in pairs, and is always close to humans. This way of life allows you to hunt and feed not only on carrion, but also on your own prey - small animals, mammals, other birds and their young, eggs, and fish.

Among the main types of crows, there are bristly crows, gray crows, bronze crows, white-necked crows, white crows, and Australian crows. Let's take a closer look.

Varieties of Carrion Crow

bristly

The bristly crow was named because of the short feathers on its neck. She has black plumage and a neatly harmonized beak. Lives in North Africa.

Gray

The hooded crow has a very interesting coloring: the neck region and head are covered with black or dark brown plumage, the wings are painted black with a brilliant blue sheen. The bird got its name due to the gray color of its body, with a smoky, very delicate tint.

In Russia, this species lives from the western part to the Yenisei. Birds can also be found in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and Asia Minor. These are sedentary nomadic birds, which only completely disappear from the northern part of their habitat only in winter.

Bronze

This crow is larger than other subspecies: its length reaches the size of ravens - 64 cm. The color is dark, with a brown tint. You can see a white spot on the back of the head. The bird is very fond of mountainous areas, and especially the high mountains of the African continent.

White-necked

This type of crow, as you might guess, has a white spot at the very base of its neck. Habitat - North America.

White

The variety is not distinguished as a separate species of crow. This is an albino individual that received counter-coloring as a result of mutation. Its character and behavior are no different from those of any other subspecies.

Australian

The Australian Crow has a bizarre wing plumage: they are black with a bright dark blue and green tint. The neck region of this bird looks very majestic: the feathers are long and thick. Habitat: the entire continent of Australia.

Differences and Similarities

Please note: if the black crow prefers solitude or at most one companion, then the crow will stick to the flock. Let's look at other differences:

• The crow is much smaller in size and weight: the body length reaches 50 cm, and the weight is 700 grams, while the crow is about 65 cm in size and weighs one and a half kilograms.
• Although the color of birds is similar (to the naked eye), it also varies: while the raven’s color is black with a bright blue tint and shiny, the crow’s color intensity and depth are less pronounced.
• The raven has a wedge-shaped tail, the crow has a rounded tail. A “beard” appears on the neck of long-lived ravens - long, thick feathers. Crows do not have such a feature.
• In flight, the raven is more majestic: it is able to soar above the ground, and before nesting, the male performs acrobatic shows in the air! The crow has a flapping, energetic flight.
• The crow can be seen in the western part of Europe and in the east of Eurasia; it tries to settle closer to people all year round. The common crow lives mainly in the Northern Hemisphere: in the northern part of the USA, in Europe, in North Africa.
• A raven, which scientists have recognized as intellectually developed, is more suitable for home keeping. There are often cases when the owner managed to teach this bird words.

Among the similarities, we can highlight the fact that both representatives of the corvid family are undemanding when it comes to food. They prefer carrion as the most affordable food. They also eat small animals, mammals, vegetation, and waste.

Nesting period for both members of the family

The common raven begins nesting at the end of winter - beginning of spring, when the air gets warmer and it is possible to insulate the nest enough so that the chicks do not freeze. The mating period preceding the laying of eggs is unusual: during this time, the male performs all sorts of acrobatic tricks in the sky in front of the female, walks around her with his head held high, shows playfulness, and sometimes aggression.

Both build the nest. It is usually located in the openings of large tall trees or on steep cliffs. Both the male and female bring branches of different sizes to build the base. Dry grass, wool, feathers, down and other soft and warm materials are placed on it. The lateral bases of the bird are built from moss and earth.

As a result, the house for the chicks turns out to be very warm, cozy and suitable for subsequent nesting.

Crow eggs, of which there are approximately 5-6 pieces, are turquoise-blue in color, with dark small specks. Hatching lasts two to three weeks, then the chicks need several more weeks to gain strength.

In the black crow, reproduction occurs in much the same way, at the age of two years. However, nesting begins a little later - in early to mid-spring. The crow's nest is smaller, the color of the eggs in the clutch is darker, the female lays about 4-5 eggs.

How many years do black crows and ravens live?

The lifespan of a common raven depends on the conditions in which it lives. In a city where birds do not spend a lot of energy getting food, this period is 25-30 years.

Ravens living in landfills, garbage dumps and other places where the air is most polluted will live three times less. In forest spaces (including wintering near humans), birds can live for 15 years.

In rare cases, an individual can live up to 40 years. Moreover, many scientists claim that if a crow is provided with the most favorable living conditions, its life expectancy can reach 70 years.

Black Crow wildlife lives about 10-13 years, under human supervision - up to 40, but this is rare.

What do you know about the crow and the raven? Please leave comments and share the article with your friends.

Crow is a bird belonging to the passerine order, the corvid family, genus O rona (lat. Corvus).

Previously, in Rus' the crow was called “vrana”. According to linguists, the name of the bird is most likely consonant with the words “witch,” “enemy,” “enemy.”

Crow: description, characteristics and photos. What does the bird look like?

Crows are the largest representatives of the passerine order. The length of the bird varies between 48-56 cm. The male is larger than the female, the weight of the male is 700-800 grams, females weigh from 460-550 grams. The length of the wing of a male crow reaches 27-30 cm; the wings of a female crow grow from 25 to 27 cm. The strong wings of most species have a pointed shape. The wingspan of a crow is about 1 m.

The appearance of the crow is similar to the rook, but differs in a denser physique.

The crow's tail is wedge-shaped, with long tail feathers. The bird's beak is powerful and sharp, conical in shape, and in some species has a characteristic high bend. The crow's legs are thin and long, with four toes: 1 facing back, 3 facing forward.

Most crow species have gray or black plumage that glows metallic, purple, violet or green in the sun. The base of the feather is usually gray, in rare cases white.

The crow's voice is high, hoarse, sometimes rough and guttural, reminiscent of laughter. The “crow language” is very developed, sounds of different tones are used during mating games, for notification of a general gathering, swearing, threats, and also alarm signals.

How many years do crows live?

The lifespan of a crow in nature is 15-20 years. In captivity, some crows live up to 35-40 years. The oldest crow's officially documented age was 59 years, which is rare.

Where do crows live?

The habitat is quite extensive: the crow bird is found in almost all countries of Europe and Asia, North America, North Africa and Australia.

Most crows are sedentary in urban, rural or natural landscapes. Sedentary-nomadic species of crows, which live at the northern borders of their range, move to areas with a more benign climate for the winter.

What do crows eat?

Solitary by nature, crows are active hunters, who sometimes team up with relatives to capture prey or organize a common feast. Being scavengers, a flock of crows is capable of accompanying feathered predators for a long time, and also for the sake of their prey or its remains. Crows are omnivores and eat absolutely anything that they think will be edible. The crow's diet includes any insects (,), worms, eggs of other bird species and their chicks, fish, small rodents (and).

All kinds of food waste are the usual and favorite food of crows, so large concentrations of these birds are often observed in city landfills. The crow feeds on insect larvae swarming in the dung.

In the absence of animal food, the crow eats plants and their seeds, fruits and vegetables.

Types of crows, names and photographs

The genus includes several species of crows:

• black crow(lat. Corvus corone)

It has black plumage, as well as black legs, feet and beak. Therefore, the bird is often confused with the rook. However, the plumage of the carrion crow has a much greener tint than that of the rook, and sometimes even a purple tint. Body length adult is 48-52 cm.

The species' range covers the territory of Western and Central Europe, where the black crow lives together with one of its subspecies - the eastern black crow (lat. Corvus corone orientalis), which lives in East Asia. In Russia, black crows nest in Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

• Hoodie(lat. Corvus cornix)

According to one of the classifications hoodie is a separate species, according to another, is a subspecies of the black crow. The length of the bird reaches 50 cm and weighs 460-735 grams. The hoodie differs from the rook in its larger wing width and particularly pronounced beak slope. The body is painted gray. The head, chest, wings and tail of the hoodie are black with a slight metallic tint.

The hooded crow lives in Eastern and Central Europe, Scandinavian countries, Asia Minor and throughout Russia, from the western part to the Kara Sea.

• Australian Crow(lat. Corvus coronoides)

It is the largest of three related species found in Australia. The crow's body length is 46-53 cm, and its weight is on average 650 g. The crow's black plumage has a blue-violet or blue-green sheen. Distinctive feature All crows found in Australia have white irises and prominent neck feathers. The throat of young individuals is covered with such sparse feathers that pink skin shows through between them.

The Australian crow lives in Sydney and Canberra.

• South Australian Crow(lat. Corvus mellori)

It is distinguished by its completely black plumage, long wings and a thin, strongly curved beak. A medium-sized species, the length of an adult crow is 48-50 cm. According to some scientists, the bird prefers only plant foods.

The South Australian crow lives in southeastern Australia, as well as on King and Kangaroo Islands.

• Bronze Crow(lat. Corvus crassirostris)

Originally called the vulture crow. Large representatives of the species have a body length of 60-64 cm. The beak of the bronze crow is quite large and exceeds the length of the head. The crow's coloration is completely black, with a single white spot on the back of its head. The tail of a crow of this species is characterized by a stepped arrangement of feathers.

The bronze crow lives in the mountains and high plateaus of East Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, as well as Sudan and Somalia.

• White-necked Crow(lat. Corvus cryptoleucus)

A typical representative of the genus, distinguished by the white bases of the feathers on the neck. The body length of an adult is 50 cm. This species of crow is common in the southeastern United States and northern Mexico.

• Big-beaked crow(lat. Corvus macrorhynchos)

The bird has a very big beak. The size of the crow depends on its habitat: representatives of the northern populations are larger than the southern ones, have a large beak and well-developed feathers on the neck. On average, the length of adult crows is 46-59 cm, and their weight reaches 1.3 kg. The body is covered with dark gray feathers. The wings, tail and head of the great-billed crow are black, with a purple or green tint.

The species includes 15 subspecies living in continental Asia and the Russian Far East, as well as inhabiting the islands of the Philippines, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Hokkaido, Yakushima and many others.

• Bristle Crow(lat. Corvus rhipidurus)

It grows up to 47 cm in length and is very similar to a black crow. However, the bird has a characteristically thick beak, long wings, a shortened tail and very short throat feathers. The species of bristly crows is distinguished by its glossy black color and characteristic purple-blue feathers and paws. The raven's feathers on the back of its head have a white base.

The habitat of this bird species begins in the Middle East, passes through the northern part of the African continent, along the Arabian Peninsula, through Kenya and Sudan to the Sahara Desert.

• Bangay crow(lat. Corvus unicolor)

The smallest crow of this genus, growing to only 39 cm in length. The species is characterized by black feathers and a short tail.

The least studied species of crow, found exclusively on Peleng Island in Indonesia. The species has endangered status and, according to scientists, the population today contains from 30 to 200 individuals.

White crows are very rare in nature - the result of mutation-albinism.

An albino can appear in any species group and will differ from its relatives only in its white plumage and extreme vulnerability.

How do crows reproduce?

At the age of 2 years, most crow species are ready to breed. Crows are monogamous birds and choose a mate for the rest of their lives. The mating games of a male and female crow are distinguished by intricate aerial turns, chases and somersaults. The most common species of these birds breed in early to mid-spring.

On the left is a female crow, on the right is a male crow

Crows make nests in forest parks and squares; they are laid in the forks of strong tree branches, on power line supports, cranes, and behind drains. Species that live in steppe and semi-desert landscapes make nests in crevices of rocks and cliffs. Both future parents usually take part in the construction, painstakingly constructing a nest from twigs and twigs. The crow's nest does not exceed 0.5 meters in diameter and has a height of 20-30 cm. Turf, clay, and often pieces of wire are used for fastening. The bottom of the nest is lined with feathers, down, dry grass, cotton wool and rags.

Depending on the type of bird, the clutch contains 3-6 or 4-8 eggs of light green or bluish color with dark spots. The female crow incessantly incubates the clutch for 17-20 days. The male crow feeds his companion and takes care of her throughout the entire period of hatching the eggs.

After 25 days, naked crow chicks are born, provided with food by both parents. The cubs fledge a month after birth.

You should not try to pick up a crow chick that has accidentally fallen from the nest. The parents make a terrible noise, calling their relatives with shouts, and zealously protect the cub. A flock of crows attacks a dangerous alien, be it animal or human.

At the beginning of summer, the crow's offspring begin to fly out of the nest, and for the first month they remain with their parents, who continue to care for them. In July, the young animals finally leave their native nest.

However, family ties remain, and sometimes the offspring of past years, instead of creating their own family, help their parents feed and raise their brothers and sisters.

I heard the statement that the raven and the crow - different birds... (see) and not a male and a female of the same species. Is this true?

Raven is a sedentary bird. It lives almost everywhere, with the exception of North Africa and North America, but is rare everywhere. Crows feed on mouse-like rodents, food waste, large insects, animal corpses, eggs and chicks of other species, fish. They also eat plant foods - cereal grains, seeds and fruits of various plants. They live alone or in pairs; pairs often do not break up even in winter. At the end of January - beginning of February, mating games begin, at the end of February - beginning of March they begin to build a nest in the crowns of tall trees, in coastal cliffs, rock ledges, power line supports, telegraph poles, and towers. Both birds build a nest from thick branches mixed with lumps of earth, bark, and thin fresh twigs. Bedding made of dry stems, wool, felt, pieces of cloth and cotton wool. In March, the female lays 4 to 7 bluish eggs with brown spots. Incubation lasts three weeks. Only the female incubates, and the male feeds her. The chicks hatch in early April and fly out of the nest in May. They stay with their parents who feed them for quite a long time - until autumn or even winter.

There are no fundamental differences between a raven and a crow. Both species of birds belong to the same genus of Ravens of the Corvidae family. In addition to the Crow itself and the Carrion Crow, the genus of Ravens also includes the Australian Crow and the Hawaiian Raven, the White-necked Crow and the Guamian Raven and Rook. Perhaps the principle by which an animal species was called a raven or crow depended on the whim of a particular ornithologist, compiler of a reference book, or translator.

Crow

Crow. Latin name: Corvus corax. Raven is the most large bird order Passeriformes. It is in the body parameters of birds that the sexual dimorphism of animals is manifested. The length of the female is no more than 60 cm, the body length of the male reaches 65 cm. The weight of the male varies between 1000-1560 g, mature females weigh from 800 to 1300 g. The wingspan of an adult animal reaches one and a half meters.

Crow

The color of the raven's feathers is uniformly black, with a slight bluish tint. Young birds are deprived of this overflow. The iris and beak are black. The beak itself is quite powerful and sharp. The claws are the same - they are capable of holding prey equal to half the weight of the bird. The tail is wedge-shaped.

The bird moves skillfully on the ground, and before taking off it is forced to make a couple of jumps. The flight pattern of a raven is similar to the flight of birds of prey, not passerines.

Birds live up to 70 years, form a pair for life and are caring parents. Crows are widespread in the northern hemisphere, in Eurasia and North America, except natural areas equatorial and subequatorial climate types.

black crow

black crow. Latin name Corvus corone. Within the species, 4 subspecies have crystallized: the common Hoodie, the Eastern Hoodie, the Common Carrion and the Eastern Carrion. All subspecies live only on the territory of the Eurasian mainland except in tropical latitudes.

The color of the crow's feather is black with a greenish-violet tint. The bird's beak, eyes and paws are black. The hooded crow has a gray body with black wings and head. The bird's body length varies from 48 to 56 cm. Albino crows are also found. Crows prefer to live alone or with their “other half”, whom they do not cheat on throughout their lives.

Crows build a couple of nests and change them every few years. The female incubates the eggs on her own. After 18 days, about 5 chicks hatch from them. After a month, the little crows are ready to learn to fly. There are cases when grown chicks of an old brood help parents feed the chicks of a new brood.

Crows are omnivores and predators. They eat everything, from grains and worms to eggs and other people's chicks. Birds have a high level of intelligence. Scientists have proven that they have abstract thinking.

Conclusions website

1. The main difference between birds is the weight and body length of the animals. Ravens are slightly larger in size and weight than black crows.
2. The second indicator is distribution. The raven's distribution range exceeds that of the crow.

There is a popular misconception that a raven is a male and a crow is a female of the same species. In fact, the raven is not the raven’s “husband” at all. Raven and crow are two different types. Sexual differences among individuals of almost all species of corvids are only in size: as a rule, males are somewhat larger than females.

Male ravens are among the most big birds in the family, because most others are inferior in size to representatives of this species. An adult raven sometimes reaches more than 60 centimeters in length and weighs about 1.5 kg!

But large size is not the only difference between ravens and other corvids. An important feature of the species is the wedge-shaped tail, which gives crows a resemblance to birds of prey, especially in flight. The wingspan of a raven reaches 120 centimeters. The pointed feathers of the crop form a kind of “beard”. The color of the feathers is monochromatic - black, but the plumage of adult individuals becomes shiny and shimmers in the sunlight with all the colors of the rainbow. Therefore, the flight of a raven in the rays of the sun is a magnificent sight!

Dahl in " Explanatory dictionary living Great Russian language" cites a number of proverbs characterizing the attitude of our ancestors to this bird: "A raven croaks at a church - to a deceased person in the village; croaks in the hut - to the dead man in the yard”; “Through which the yard the crows flew, cawing, there will be a dead man”; “Every raven should caw on its own head”; “The old raven will not caw in vain”; “Like a raven waiting for blood.” The Catholic Church cursed the bird, considering it a product of dark forces. In fact, the largest member of the family does not deserve such a bad reputation. In the legends of many peoples, ravens are the personification of wisdom. This is a strong, beautiful and smart bird

Crows prefer to live in deserted places, although sometimes they live in small populated areas, mostly, rural areas. Occasionally, small populations of ravens are found even on the outskirts of large industrial cities, although this, of course, is rather an exception: these birds prefer ecologically clean areas. More often they settle in mountains or forests, sometimes they can be found on the coasts, but crows remain small in number, never forming large colonies. However, having found a suitable place to live, the family often stays there for life. In this case, the family can either consist of a single pair with chicks or be a group of adults.

Crows tend to build nests higher up, in inaccessible places: on the tops of ancient trees, cliffs or rock ledges. The material for construction is usually thick, durable branches and twigs; soft bedding is provided on the inside. In early spring, bluish-green spotted eggs appear in the nest one at a time, every day or two. In total, from three to seven pieces are usually deposited. Incubation begins when approximately half of the eggs have been laid. Sometimes future parents take turns doing this, but more often the male is busy getting food for himself and his brood mate. The chicks are born after about twenty days, and by summer they have already flown out of the nest, although they still need the care of their elders for a long time and stay close to their parents at least until the fall. Young crows start their own families at the age of two years, having reached sexual maturity.

As for the raven’s diet, it can rightfully be classified as a feathered orderly: the main “dish” is a variety of carrion. However, the raven is also an avid hunter. Therefore, mice, small birds, their chicks and eggs, and large insects, preferably beetles, are regular additions to the diet. And if it lives near a body of water, the raven also shows itself to be a good fisherman, deftly catching shellfish and small fish.

As for keeping it in the house, you should definitely either choose a small chick or abandon this idea altogether: adult crows cannot be tamed and can bring a lot of trouble to a frivolous “owner”, creating real bedlam in the house in a matter of minutes. However, a baby crow brought into the house will also cause a lot of trouble at first. But it’s worth it: after all, this is the most intellectually developed bird of the domestic fauna.

The crow will deftly steal shiny things from guests, hunt chickens and ducklings or other small birds, offend neighbors' dogs and cats, tear up furniture and wallpaper, turn books and clothes into useless pieces, and break dishes. At the same time, very soon he will become attached to the person who fed him, so that he will never betray him, completely not recognizing the rest of humanity. There are cases when tamed crows tried to help if the owner became ill, and even died of grief on the same day as their loved one.

In nature, adult crows make rather monotonous sounds, by which they can be easily distinguished from other birds: “Crook.” Young people more often pronounce this unfinished “kar”: “Kaa”. But raven chicks learn quickly enough human speech, pronouncing the words clearly and clearly. Moreover, their level of intelligence allows them to use words and phrases strictly for their intended purpose, turning the bird into a real interlocutor. The raven will be able to communicate its needs (“I want to eat,” “I will sleep,” etc.) and answer simple questions. Problems with tame crows only occur during puberty, when, like any teenager, the chick strives to leave its parental home and gain independence. However, the transitional age passes, the raven matures and can remain with the owner all his life: at home, crows can live up to seven decades.

Perhaps not a single bird in our fauna can compare with the raven in intelligence. He can solve complex problems that life puts before him. A raven can easily distinguish a hunter from other people, a man from a woman, whom he is less wary of.

You can feed a raven almost everything that a person can eat.