Northwestern Crow
|
|
| Northwestern Crow | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Corvus caurinus Baird, 1858 |
The Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) is very similar to the more western forms of the American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) but it is slightly smaller (33-41 cm in length) and has proportinately smaller feet with a slightly more slender bill. It is the calls that are significantly different and often serve to identify it.
The range of this North American species is, as its name suggests, confined to the north-western coastal regions and offshore islands of southern Alaska, down through British Columbia to Washington State. Beaches and shorelines are the principal forage areas and it can often be seen in and around small towns and villages.
The food is very similar to the Fish Crow; it takes stranded fish, shellfish, crabs and mussels, and also searches refuse tips for suitable food items. It has been seen to take mussels into the air and drop them onto hard surfaces to break them open. Insects and other invertebrates are taken regularly as well as various fruits and berries.
The nest is sometimes built in association with a few other individuals in small, loose colonies in trees or sometimes large bushes. Very rarely, it will nest on cliffs in a recess or even on the ground in a remote area if overhung by a rock for shelter. It is a typical crow nest with 4-5 eggs usually laid.
The voice is very varied, and many types of call are frequently made, but the most common are usually described as a high pitched "caw" and the sound of a cork coming out of a bottle. A "wok-wok-wok" is given by a bird in flight if straggling behind the group, and various clicks and mechanical sounding rattles also seem frequently heard.
Sound link
Northwestern Crow call (two birds) (http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/sounds/crow1.wav)
Image links
- Perching on a rail (http://www.avesphoto.com/website/pictures/CRONRW-1.jpg)
- Walking on the ground (http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/aves/passeriformes/corvidae/corvus/sp-1.jpg)
- Urban bird walking on pavement (http://www.stanford.edu/~petelat1/photos/nocr-2.jpg)
- Skull of Northwestern Crow (http://www.skullsite.com/images/dbimages/large/corvuscaurinus_s.jpg)
