It'd be funnier if it were a polar bear

this is making the email rounds--I got it today at work

cross-posted to zookeepers

365 Urban Species. #053: American Crow

photo by cottonmanifesto
Urban species # 053: American crow Corvus brachyrhynchos

The crow has a long and storied association with humans. The crow's
black plumage and taste for carrion, along with its legendary
cleverness, has meant that crows and ravens have been taken to be
dieties, avatars, omens, and demons. What they are, truly, are the
largest members of the songbird order. They are thought to be some of
the smartest and most adaptable birds. Recently,
one captive crow became the first non-human animal to craft a tool
using man-made materials.

"True" crows are birds in the genus Corvus which includes birds
given the common name jackdaw and raven, all of which are omnivorous,
pigeon-sized or larger, and black. The crow family, Corvidae,
includes many other birds, including blue jays and
magpies. A great many of these bird species are bold and resourceful,
making them good candidates for urban species.

American crows are the most common crows in North America, followed by
the common raven (C. corax), which is found throughout Eurasia
as well. Ravens are absent from southern New England, and much of the
plains states and provinces, but are urban animals in such cities as
San Francisco. Fish crows (C. ossifragus) are found all along
the east coast, feeding along salt and fresh water shores. Fish crows
can be reliably distinguished from American crows only by their voice
(fish crows have a more nasal caw).

Carrion feeding animals of all kinds have learned to appreciate the
highways as a source of food. Other human-derived sources of food for
crows include garbage dumps, gut piles left by hunters, and (though it
is gruesome, it is historically significant) battlefields. Crows
famously visit crop fields, notably grapes and corn, but the fact that
they prey on insect and rodent pests mitigates their own pest status.

Crows are drawn near cities in the fall and winter in huge numbers,
known as winter roosts. Thousands of birds gather in large trees just
outside of city centers. These groups derive safety in numbers, as
well as safety from city-shy predators, such as great horned owls.
The radiating warmth of the asphalt probably helps to attract crows to
metropolitan roosts.

West Nile virus had a huge impact on crows over the past five years. We observed a crash in the Boston area crow population in 2002. We have seen more crows this year than last year, but there are still far fewer around than there were in 2001.


( Another crow )