Corvids

Joe Meche is vice president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and is in his 10th year as editor of the chapter newsletter. Joe is also a member of the board of directors of the Washington Brant Foundation. He has been photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years and has been watching birds for more than 50 years.

The following is one of the most recognizable opening lines in literature and sets the tone for a true work of genius by one of America’s masters:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…

At the heart of Edgar Allen Poe’s well-known and timeless work dealing with his depression over a lost love is, of all things, a bird. This isn’t just any bird, however, but a prominent member of a family of birds that is considered by many to be the most intelligent of all birds. Regardless of their high standing, this family is often the object of scorn that has been known to border on intense hatred. What group of birds could possibly generate this kind of emotion? Why, the corvids, of course!

Quite possibly the most misunderstood and certainly unappreciated of all the families of birds are the corvids. Many birdwatchers lean toward the more colorful or more exciting birds and have little or no time for the family Corvidae. This unique and familiar family includes not only crows and ravens, but also jays, nutcrackers and magpies. Despite their intelligence and unique behavior, the corvids still fail to excite many people. As it is with many things in life, however, if you take the time to learn more about them, you could even learn to appreciate the corvids.

Corvids are members of the extended family of birds known as passerines, or perching birds. The largest member of this family, the common raven, is also the largest of the passerine species. Their level of activity and gregarious and assertive behavior lend well to their longevity and worldwide range. Members of the corvid family can be found everywhere except in Antarctica, New Zealand and a few other remote islands. On a recent cross-country trip, crows and ravens were the only birds that we saw everywhere we went.

Male and female corvids are similar in appearance and both participate in nest building, in which the end result is usually a basic affair made of sticks. Most of the nesting sites are in trees or shrubs, although ravens will occasionally build on rock ledges when nesting at higher elevations. Old corvid nests are sometimes used by hawks or owls. The nests of the magpies are similarly constructed of sticks but resemble a big ball, as much as two to three feet in diameter, with one or more entry holes.

The nests of crows and ravens are usually hubs of activity, since the young are voracious eaters and, because of their large size, can be very demanding. Young jays are born without feathers and therein lies the origin of the old phrase, “naked as a jaybird.” Whether meant to be flattering or not, many familiar adages or words and phrases have been coined over the years of man’s association with corvids, e.g., eating crow, crow’s nest, scarecrow and nothing to crow about.

Corvids are year-round residents throughout their respective ranges and are not migratory. They will, however, participate in large movements if their primary food sources run low. Weather is not usually a factor for the northern birds of this family, and ravens are often seen looking for handouts in mid-winter at local ski areas.

In the Northwest, as well as everywhere else in North America, the most recognizable of the corvids is the common American crow. Complaints about crows are numerous and most have to do with their noisy nature and their insatiable desire to survive. Crows are not only intelligent, but they are also innovative and have been known to use tools on occasion. They have been observed caring for and nurturing their sick or injured family members.

Crows will eat just about anything but common lore has it that crows have a fondness for corn and any number of other palatable crops. Farmers who considered most of their crop damage to be crow-inflicted saw them as pests and often shot or poisoned them. Some even went so far as to raid the crows’ night roosts. That age-old icon, the scarecrow, is still considered to be an effective means of keeping crows away from the garden.

The distinctive croaking sound overhead is one way to tell that a large corvid is nearby. Even if you don’t see it at first, there’s no mistaking the deep, resonant call of the common raven. Equally intelligent, crows and ravens have often occupied a darker and even negative niche in folklore, and the appearance of either at your door was always considered a bad omen.

Birdwatchers in the Pacific Northwest are familiar with the northwestern crow, an almost indistinguishable cousin of the common crow. These beachcombing scavengers tend to be smaller than their common cousins and have smaller feet. The best clues for identifying this particular bird are the habitat and its call, which is hoarser and lower-pitched than that of the common crow. Watch northwestern crows sometimes as they carry clams and mussels aloft to drop them onto hard surfaces to break open the shells.

Steller’s jays are either loved or detested for their raucous calls and sometimes bullying behavior at bird feeders. They seem to prefer that you feed them peanuts still inside the shell. They like to extract the peanuts on their own, displaying a corvid talent of holding the prey with their feet while opening the package with their beaks. Steller’s jays are the western counterpart to the eastern blue jay. Both are crested and they share their own distinctive calls in their respective ranges.

Steller’s jays range from the lowlands to the middle and higher elevations throughout their range in the West. This corvid was named for the German naturalist, George Steller, who sailed with Vitus Bering on his voyages of exploration in the 18th century. A sea lion and an eider sea duck also bear Steller’s name.

Gray jays are perhaps the most delightful of jays and can be found in the higher elevations where they are quite habituated to handouts from humans. Also known as Canada jays, camp robbers and whiskey jacks, the grays are quite comfortable eating right out of your hand. It’s not unusual to be discovered by a flock of gray jays while hiking in the high country. They know from experience that you just might have something to offer.

Other jays that belong to this family are the scrub jay, pinyon jay, brown jay, Mexican jay and the outrageously-colored green jay of the Rio Grande border country. Another corvid to be found in the desert country of the Southwest is the Chihuahuan raven, a smaller cousin of the common raven.

Usually found at higher elevations, the Clark’s nutcracker is considered by many to be one of the avian world’s best hoarders. Nutcrackers spend most of their waking hours gathering and caching seeds for use in winter and early spring. In another display of corvid intelligence, Clark’s nutcrackers can usually retrieve about 70 percent of their stored seeds. Another bird of the West, this unique creature was named for William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803-06.

Two magpies belong to the corvid family and, while the black-billed is relatively common throughout its range, the yellow-billed is specific to the area around the Sacramento Valley in California. Both breed in small colonies and were equally persecuted in the late 1800s and even into the early 1900s.

All corvids are quite adept at storing food and their resilience to human encroachment is noteworthy. They recognize good food sources when they see them and their adaptive nature works to their advantage. Only the Florida scrub jay is listed as threatened while other corvids are doing quite well, as evidenced by the expanding numbers and ranges of most of the species within the family.

No matter how you feel about these birds, there’s never a doubt when any member of the corvid family is within earshot because they tend to make their presence known. They can be a noisy bunch to human ears, but their varied communication skills are just one of the signs of their intelligence. Their adaptability and omnivorous habits guarantee that they will always be with us, no matter what we do to discourage them. §

Crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. To a surprising extent, to know the crows is to know ourselves.

—John Marzluff