Corvids, or raven(Corvidae)- a widespread family of birds in the order Passeriformes. The family consists of more than 120 different species of birds. The birds are medium to large in size and have a noticeable resemblance in appearance. Many members of the family have black plumage, but there are also brightly colored species. They feed mainly on insects, partly on grains. Among large northern species, a significant place is occupied by hunting for eggs and chicks of other birds, searching for carrion and robbery.
The family includes: crows, magpies, jackdaws, nutcrackers, cuckoos, jays, choughs...
Appearance
Some ravens are the largest members of the passeriformes: the weight of the common raven (Corvus corax) and the bronze crow (Corvus crassirostris) can exceed 1.5 kg, and the length can reach 65 cm. On the other hand, the smallest species, Aphelocoma nana, weighs only about 40 g and its length is 21.5 cm.
Behavior
Several species have very high intelligence, comparable to the great apes. Because of this, they become the object of research by scientists. Intelligence is expressed in understanding the mechanics of processes occurring both in nature and in tests specially created by scientists, and in the use of one or more tools to achieve an edible goal. Many species use their abilities only in captivity, and some (for example, the New Caledonian crow) use tools in nature. The crow can take the manufactured tools with him, using them in the future.
Quick and easy to learn, flocking birds sometimes come to each other's aid. Crows, rooks and jackdaws often settle within populated areas, forming numerous colonies. Often highly organized: for example, jackdaws (Corvus monedula) have a complex social hierarchy. It is known that young birds often play complex educational games, including collective ones, which require a certain intelligence. For example, they throw twigs into the air and try to catch them; lie on their back and touch an object with their legs and beak; they play a game together like “king of the hill”: they try to push each other out of a certain place; holding an object in their beak, they fly and collide with other birds until the object falls.
Some species can be quite aggressive towards other animals. For example, blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) are known to attack anyone who approaches their nest. Dogs, cats, and other birds of prey become victims of birds.
Most are omnivores - they feed on both plant and animal foods: insects and other invertebrate animals, eggs of other birds, small mammals, berries, fruits and plant seeds. They often eat carrion. Some species are well adapted to life in populated areas and feed on human food waste. Research conducted by American ornithologists in the United States regarding American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), common ravens (Corvus corax) and Steller's blue jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) showed that ravens turned out to be the most omnivorous among all birds, feeding on waste products such as bread , pasta, chips, sandwiches, dog food and livestock feed. The same study found that the presence of such waste affects the overall number of birds.
Reproduction
Monogamous, pairs remain for a long time, in many species throughout life. Nests are usually built in treetops; Dry branches fastened with grass or bark are used as building material. Both the male and female build the nest. The clutch consists of 3-10 (usually 4-7) eggs, usually pale green with brown spots. Once hatched, the chicks remain in the nest for 6-10 weeks depending on the species.
A bird from the corvid family can become a wonderful pet for the whole family, especially if it comes into the house as a chick.
In addition to timely feeding and keeping it clean, it is necessary to remember that tame birds need constant communication with humans. Moreover, having gotten used to living in a house, the feathered pet will urgently demand attention from all family members if it does not receive enough of it. A tame bird from the corvid family cannot be left alone for a long time, otherwise it will get bored and may even get sick.
You need to work with your feathered friend constantly, especially if you have the intention of seriously teaching and training the bird. If you conduct classes only from time to time, depending on your mood, nothing good will come of the training. And he will also never learn to speak if the breaks between lessons are long, simply forgetting the words he has learned for the next lesson.
It is completely unnecessary for birds of the Corvidae family. They quickly become attached to the house and are unlikely to try to leave it. But, nevertheless, the bird feels more confident when it has its own corner in the house, where it can always hide from danger, eat in peace and relax. Therefore, the cage must still exist, even if its door is constantly open.
Regardless of whether you decide to keep your feathered pet in a cage or in a cage, it needs perches, feeders and a water bowl for comfort. Dishes for corvids should be made of durable raw materials, but in no case should tin cans or copper vessels be used as feeders - this can lead to poisoning of the bird. It is best to purchase special dishes from a pet store, but you can also use regular metal or earthenware bowls.
As for the perches required for birds, corvids need sticks made of hard wood. Branches of oak, apple, beech or birch are suitable for making perches. The cross-section of the perch should be oval or round, and the diameter should correspond to the size of the bird. For small species of corvids, two centimeters are sufficient, and the diameter of the perch for crows or rooks should be at least three centimeters. In any case, you need to be guided by the size of the paws. If the perch is too narrow, the bird will find it uncomfortable to hold on and may injure the pads with its own claws. And when the perch is too wide, the paws slide off it. Ideally, the perch should allow the bird to comfortably wrap its paw around it, but without the claws touching the back of the leg.
When making it yourself, you don’t need to remove the bark from the branches from which the perches are made. The length of the branches should correspond to the width of the cage, because the perches will be parallel to the side walls. You can place four perches in the enclosure, at a large distance from each other and as far away from the side walls as possible. It is very important to provide the perches with a fixed mount so that they do not wobble or rotate around their axis. If the perch sways, the bird will not be able to feel comfortable on it and will sleep very restlessly.
The drinking bowl with feeders cannot be placed directly under the perches, otherwise water and food will constantly be under the threat of contamination by droppings. The cage usually has holes for feeders, and in the enclosure you can simply place them on the bottom or build a bench for this purpose. Pour clean river sand or sawdust into the bottom of the enclosure or into the tray of the cage.
Corvids, like other birds, often exhibit an urge to bathe. Among them, of course, there are individuals who simply do not like to swim, but even they are usually not averse to splashing in the water in extreme heat or during the molting period. Therefore, the bird should be provided with a bath selected according to the same principle as dishes - made of durable but harmless material. You should not keep the bathtub in the cage all the time. It can only be placed immediately before bathing, filled with clean water at room temperature.
If the bird does not show any interest in bathing on its own, you should help it with this. Moistening the plumage in warm weather will be beneficial. You can use a spray bottle, spraying the feathers so that water does not get on the head - in the eyes, nostrils and ears. Just keep in mind that when spraying, the water cools, so you must first check the temperature of the drops with your hand. If your pet is stubbornly afraid of the spray bottle and does not like the spraying procedure, you can simply gently wipe the surface of the feathers with a damp cloth. It is important to remember that the room should be warm enough while swimming.
To live comfortably in captivity, birds must be provided with complete feed containing the entire range of nutrients, minerals and vitamins necessary for health. There is no single recipe that allows you to combine all the elements required for proper growth and development, replenishment of the energy spent on changing plumage, and other complex processes taking place in the bird’s body. Therefore, the food supply should be varied, but at the same time, standardized. Corvids require both plant and animal feed, but at different ages and at different times of the year, their proportions and composition should change depending on the real needs of the bird.
It often happens that for some reason the bird’s usual food has to be replaced with another. In this case, the pet may completely lose its appetite and not approach the feeder at all. Even if this does not happen, and the bird eats the proposed new dish with pleasure, it may experience indigestion from unusual food. To avoid such problems, new foods should be introduced gradually, adding a little at first, and it is imperative to provide variety in the diet from the very first days of keeping the bird in the house.
In addition to variety, you need to take care of the quality of food offered to corvids. You should not give waste that has already begun to deteriorate, old grain that has lost its viability and has suspicious impurities, cereals with bugs, or moldy products. All food must be fresh.
It is very important to give food at the same time every day. In this case, it is allowed to give out the daily amount of food at once, but it is better to feed the bird twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. It is preferable to give soft food in the morning, while fresh plant foods can be offered at any time. Restrictions do not apply to raw vegetables, fruits and herbs if the bird receives them regularly and is accustomed to such food. Otherwise, excess greens in the diet may cause diarrhea.
The diet of domestic corvids should be balanced and complete. The composition of food should be selected depending on the time of year and the age of the pet. During the molting period, it is necessary to have calcium, phosphorus and sulfur in the food. The diet of corvids should include cereals and grains, fresh root vegetables cut into pieces, as well as soft mixtures.
The soft feed mixture may contain grated vegetables and fruits, crushed crackers, cottage cheese, boiled eggs, and wheat bran. Bran contains a large amount of fiber, B vitamins and phosphorus compounds. Due to the presence of fiber, bran should not be given in large quantities to avoid causing indigestion. The amount of bran in the soft feed mixture should not exceed seven percent of the total amount.
Various porridges, mashed potatoes and raw minced meat, meat or fish are also suitable as soft foods. We must not forget about fruit additives to the diet, including in winter. To do this, you can use dried berries or apples along with fresh fruits, pouring boiling water over them before giving them to the bird.
If the diet is prepared correctly and the housing conditions are suitable, corvids feel great at home, have an excellent appetite, good health and can live happily to a ripe old age.
Corvids can be found almost everywhere. They are one of the most famous birds of Eurasia, including Russia.
A number of places have their own endemic (that is, living only there) species, such as America and East Asia.
A number of corvids can migrate long distances.
Appearance
Most corvids are quite large birds; Moreover, this family includes the largest passerine birds: the body length of the common raven and bronze crow can reach 65 centimeters, and their weight is 1.5 kg.
black raven photo
At the same time, there are also relatively small species - the smallest representatives weigh only 40 g. Many corvids are black in color, which has become the reason for the mystical attitude towards them in European culture.
Lifestyle
Now about what is most mysterious about these birds. Representatives of the corvid family are called “the monkeys of the bird world” due to their exceptionally high intelligence. Numerous experiments and observations have shown that the mental abilities of corvids are not inferior to those of higher primates.
forty photos
They know how to use tools, including processing workpieces (for example, sharpening sticks) and storing manufactured equipment for a long time.
They easily learn new skills, and absolutely independently; large-billed crows in Tokyo are known to have learned to throw nuts under the wheels of cars in order to then pick up the broken ones from the road.
jay photo
An experiment in which a raven was given water to drink from a high container, so that its beak could not reach the liquid, became widely known. The bird quickly realized and began throwing pebbles and other objects into the vessel until the water level rose; at the same time, when choosing objects, the raven understood which of them would sink in water and which would not sink and therefore were unsuitable for this procedure.
Many corvids have pronounced social rituals - for example, they can express a whole range of emotions, even sadness. Magpies are the only birds that recognize themselves in the mirror. Another highly intelligent bird, the parrot, also reacts to the image in the mirror, but mistakes its own reflection for another parrot.
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Crow family
All birds that make up one large group, called a class in zoology, are divided into groups, like schoolchildren, when two or more teams need to be formed within one class. Only the birds are divided into groups not anyhow, but according to similar characteristics. In turn, orders include families - groups of birds that have one or more ancestors that are similar in structure and other characteristics. Families are ultimately represented by genera, and each genus by a group of species. There is nowhere else to go, except perhaps we can talk about subspecies and various geographical forms, but there are no serious differences between them that would prevent joint reproduction, so they cannot be declared separate species. So, in the avian order of passerines, the richest in the number of species, there is one separate family, known for its large representatives and their extraordinary mental abilities. We are talking about the corvid family. We will talk about the most striking and frequently encountered people, especially since only 14 species of this curious family live on the territory of Russia.
Ravens or corvids are a family of birds from the passerine order. Among the birds of this order, it is the representatives of this family that are distinguished by their large size and developed intelligence. What birds are corvids, what are the features of their biology and is it worth keeping them in captivity - all this is discussed in this article.
Different, but very similar
Ravens are passerine-like vertebrates. Corvid birds (common jay, blue jay, gray crow, common raven, jackdaw, rook and many others) represent a fairly large family, which includes 23 genera and more than 120 species of birds. All of them are characterized by a peculiar “crow” appearance - these are large birds (weight up to 1.5 kg) with a dense body, a large head with a large, slightly curved beak. All of them are dark in color, although there are also brightly colored elegant corvids (photo above - blue jay Aphelocoma coerulescens).
These birds are distributed almost everywhere on the globe. Birds of the corvid family live in forests, steppes, deserts, and mountains. They are not found in Antarctica, the far north, South America and the oceanic islands of New Zealand.
In Russia, corvid birds (photo below) are represented by 15 species, the most famous of which are gray crow (Corvus cornix) and black crow (Corvus corone), common raven (Corvus corax), rook (Corvus frugilegus), jackdaw (Corvus monedula), magpie common (Pica pica).
Some species features
The article does not allow us to characterize many species of corvids. We will describe only a few representatives. Well known to all of us.
The common raven (Corvus corax) is one of the smartest representatives of the family. A large bird with a wingspan of up to 1.5 meters, a weight of up to 1.5 kilograms and a body length of up to 70 centimeters. The beak is massive, high and sharp. The tail is wedge-shaped. The color is black with a metallic tint; females do not differ from males.
Gray (Corvus cornix) and black (Corvus corone) crows - body sizes up to 56 centimeters. Sometimes they are considered as two subspecies of the same species, differing in the color of their feathers - the first has a black head, wings and tail, and the body is gray, the second has black with a greenish or purple tint.
Rook (Corvus frugilegus) - birds with a body length of up to 45 centimeters, the color is black with a purple sheen, the base of the beak is bare. Migratory birds in the northern part of the range.
Jackdaws (Corvus monedula) are fairly small birds. Body length up to 35 centimeters. The wings and tail are black and the body is slate gray. The beak is short and stocky. Cheerful and sociable birds. Due to their cheerful nature, they are often kept in captivity.
Magpie (Pica pica) - characterized by a characteristic black and white color. Body length up to 50 centimeters. The tail is longer than the body.
The common jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a rare representative of Russian corvids with bright plumage. The name of these birds comes from the Old Russian word “soy”, which means “to shine”. The jay is the size of a jackdaw, has a crest on the head, a reddish-brown body combined with a white rump, bright blue shoulders with stripes and black wings, tail and top of the head. Jays are skilled imitators and their song consists of the sounds of other birds singing.
Raven and crow are not husband and wife
As has already become clear, these are birds of the same genus, Crows, but completely different species. And even their external similarity leaves no doubt about that. They never form pairs.
But with their species, most corvids (photo - a pair of magpies at the nest) they enter into long-term monogamous relationships. Sexual dimorphism in corvids is not developed; the male is usually somewhat larger than the female. The male and female together build a nest from branches, holding them together with grass and bark. Together they incubate and feed the chicks, which usually number from 4 to 7. The chicks hatch from colored eggs (usually pale green with brown spots) on days 16-22 and do not leave the nest until 10 weeks of age. But even after this, parents often continue to care for and educate their offspring.
Our neighbours
Sinanthropus is the name given in biology to species of animals that live near humans. And there are many such birds among corvids. This is primarily due to their omnivorous nature and intelligence. Most corvids feed on both plant and animal foods. They eat berries and fruits, vegetables and nuts, insects, invertebrates, small mammals, birds and their eggs, and do not disdain carrion.
They adapt well to life next to humans, using the remnants of our vital activity for food. In the urban landscape, flocks of crows that live in landfills are a common occurrence.
Social and savvy
Most corvids live in groups and for a long time. For example, crows (Corvus corax) live up to 100 years in captivity. And thanks to social cohabitation, it is the corvids who have a fairly high intelligence, comparable in level to primates. Of course, not everyone in the order of corvids is so smart.
But there are many examples of solving complex logical problems by jays, gray crows and common crows, magpies, jackdaws and rooks. They are described in the literature, they are studied by ethologists (scientists of animal behavior) and from the earliest times it was the representatives of this family who personified wisdom and experience in legends and tales.
Amazing birds
They are empathetic, easy to learn, courageous, inquisitive and cautious birds. Young birds in a flock of ravens play cooperative educational games. In addition, packs have a clear hierarchy, which implies certain responsibilities (watchmen, signalmen, scouts).
Cooperation required these birds to develop a signaling system. Although they belong to the song passerines, their actual singing is not developed. It is more of a single sound production, which we call "croaking." But what’s interesting is that crows from different flocks have their own dialects and they do not immediately understand each other. But in their flock they organize entire meetings, collectively “hunt” and play.
Observant and cruel
Crows can easily distinguish between a person with a gun and a stick in his hands. They assess the danger and conduct surveillance. That is why scarecrows cannot keep them from attacking the crop for long. They distinguish men from women; they are less afraid of the latter and more often make fun of them.
Yes they have a sense of humor. Easily imitating the barking of dogs, they scare cats. And they even master the elements of our speech and skillfully use the acquired knowledge.
They have an inherent craving for beauty for beauty's sake - so many fairy tales have been written about magpies and their treasures.
They will fight fiercely to protect their nest. And they will compete in obtaining or even taking food.
and cities
Their unpretentiousness in food allows them to perform sanitary service in nature and the city. These are inhabitants of garbage bins and landfills in the city, they also destroy animal corpses. Due to their predilection for carrion, they have long been considered “prophetic” birds and companions of misfortune. Circling over the battlefield, they involuntarily became an image of death.
But in nature, these birds are distinguished by complex feeding behavior, in which they are helped by memory, observation and intelligence. They even remember people who feed birds in parks or stray animals, beds in holiday villages where strawberries grow. Memory allows them to stock up and empty their gardens on time.
Mythological image
Among the most diverse peoples of the world, you can find the image of corvid birds, which personify rather contradictory qualities. In Ireland, the raven is the companion of the goddess of death and war. But in Australia, a raven stole fire from the gods for people. In China there is a legend about ten suns, which were personified by ravens.
The ancient Greeks considered crows to be harbingers of rain. In Aesop's fables they represent stupidity and arrogance.
Among the Slavs, corvids were considered “unclean.” Their meat was not eaten; they accompanied sorcerers and fortune-tellers, and it was believed that they lived forever.
Crows were considered susceptible to flattery and vain. The story of a crow dropping a piece of cheese in response to praise, described in the famous fable by the Russian writer Ivan Andreevich Krylov (1769-1844), is found in many cultures around the world.
In modern culture, the image of crows is smoothed out and loses its ominous meaning. But since ancient times, many signs and proverbs associated with these birds have come to us and continue to play their role in life. Many of which are explained by the biology and intelligence of their natural prototypes.
Pets
Keeping corvids in captivity does not cause any difficulties. The chicks quickly become tamed, recognize their owners, and make friends with dogs, cats, and horses. But there are also nuances in their content. These are active and energetic birds - in captivity they need to be occupied with games and entertainment. In addition, these large birds require a spacious enclosure, and if you live in a free apartment, be prepared for repeated cleaning. They are unpretentious in nutrition and will be satisfied with the contents of your refrigerator.
Corvids live a long time - so your willingness to share several decades with your pet should be balanced and conscious.
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