This is one of my favorite nesting locations I’ve discovered so far. Rather than being deterred by the bird spikes, they’ve essentially used it as rebar!
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Welcome to another round of #CrowOrNo! Normally I don’t tell you who the contestant is but today I’m just going to come right out with it...it’s Bob. Hope that helps! ANSWER Alright Bob, it’s time to find out if you’re a #CrowOrNo! Ready??? Bob is a crow!!! A carrion crow to be precise, which are one of my favorite for this game. Why? Because they’re damn tough! I mean look at those throat feathers! If you’ve been paying any attention to me you might suspect those be be hackles a la a common raven and I COULD NOT BLAME YOU But in a more close comparison you can see that the carrion crow’s are much less robust. In addition you can see that the bill is less pronounced, though at this angle that was closer to an expert level clue. But seeing the difference in the throats on these guys is possible with practice, as evidenced by the fact that the European/Eastern Asian players more often get these ones right than the folks that don’t have them locally. So yeah, this week’s was going to be tough for a lot of folks but, hey, I gotta keep you on your crow toes! Thanks for playing everyone, and now go play #FindThatLizard with @Afro_Herper 📸@/Jastrow75 on twitter #crow #raven #corvid #scicomm #scicommgame #birdID #ilovecrows #corvidfan #corvidsofIG #birding #natureI mean...am I the only one expecting Anna Wintour to be sitting off to the side of this thing because damn that crow is werking that runway! This crow has been breeding on the UW campus for at least 13 years, a piece of information we know thanks to those flashy leg warmers it’s showing off. On average, crows live anywhere from 14-17 years and since it takes at least two years to reach sexuality maturity that means this crow is at least 15! It will be interesting to see how man more years this crow, and its equivalently mature mate, will continue to breed on campus. The oldest wild crow on record was 29 when it died so it’s possible this crow could be around for another decade, lookin just as good as it does now. Crow runways forever 🤘#crow #americancrow #corvusbrachyrhynchos #ilovecrows #bird #universityofwashington #seattle #seattlecrows #bandedbird #bandedcrow #fieldresearch #crowresearch #bird #urbanwildlife #corvid #modeling #runway #uwcrowsWoohoo this week’s #CrowOrNo challenge has officially dropped! Will you be victorious this week? Only one way to find out! Give it your best shot and if you’re feeling up for it post your answer in the comments. All skill levels welcome. ANSWER: Wow wow wow, lots of #CrowOrNo players this week and-spoiler alert but not really because it’s answer time-most of them were correct! That’s right folk’s this week’s challenge was a raven! Specifically this is a common raven I photographed in Denali last month. This is a male that was standing guard while its mate incubated eggs nearby. So if you found yourself on #teamcrow where could you have looked for things to have gone right? Let’s start with the objective stuff. Always the best place to start is with the throat. The light is crappy in this photo but even so you can still make out the hackles with a zoom. With a lighting adjustment you can see them even better. Always the best place is to start with the throat. The light is crappy in this photo but even so you can still make out the hackles with a zoom. With a lighting adjustment you can seem them even better. Crow throats OTOH are smooth and with practice you can see the difference more easily. I’d say the next tell is the tail. Normally I don’t find tails on perched birds all that helpful but here the characteristic diamond shape is obvious. A crow’s tail would be less tapered. A lot of folks though were showing off their skills with the more subjective clues, something that just comes with practice. Ravens are bigger and more robust than the North American crows and it is evident in their body size and bill heaviness. I think it’s especially noticeable when you compare the feathering on the bills. Crows’ bills plateau for a few millimeters after the nasal feathers before they curve downward, whereas raven’s turn downward right away (generally speaking; individual results vary). So there you have it folks! I hope these tips were helpful and congrats to all the folks that were able to put previous errors to good use this week. See you next time! #crow #raven #birdID #birding #scicomm #quiz #nature #InstaGame #birdnerd #crownerdI love this photo. To me, this is the perfect encapsulation of what American crows are about. These aren’t animals that have figured out how to simply survive in the anthropocene (the current geological era where human activity is the most dominant climatic and environmental influence). These are animals that thrive in it. They love when we replace intact forest with urban sprawl. They love our garbage habits. They love our lawns. They learn us, and in the hyperbolic way I’m already using the word “love” they love us too. And even when we try and shake them (notice the bird spikes all around the statute) they problem solve right around it. Their worlds are in many ways built off our backs, and yet they would still be around if we vanished tomorrow. Truly one of nature’s bad asses. #crow #americancrow #seattlecrow #universityofwashington #suzzallolibrary #bird #urbanwildlife #breedingbird #birdnest #crownest #statue #coolnest #ilovecrows #corvusbrachyrhynchos #nature #uwcrows #bandedcrowThis week’s challenge was submitted by @mjerniganart who, side-note, is a talented natural history artist and a worthy follow. So who is this curious corvid? #CrowOrNo? Excited for your answers! ANSWER.........................................: Oh boy folks, you ready for this week’s answer? Today’s photo challenge is 🥁🥁🥁 a crow! As the photo was taken in Florida, I can’t tell you which species. IDing the difference between the two species there (American crow and fish crow) is not a skill I have for a pic like this. Generally fish crow (Corvus ossifragus) are smaller than American crows. Though they really have to be side by side for most people, even experts to notice the difference. The biggest help is the voice, with fish crows producing nasally calls. But since A LOT of people went with raven on this, let’s dedicate more time to how you could have deciphered between the two. First off as a reminder: “crows” and “ravens” comprise many individual species some more closely related than others. One thing they have in common though is the presence of nasal feathers. These are indicative of all the Corvus (referring to the Corvus genus to which they belong). Though the nasal feathers in a raven are more pronounced, this is clue suited for mid-level ID ability, as it’s pretty subtle. The best tell here was instead the texture of the throat feathers which, with a little practice, are easy to see even for beginners. Ravens have heavily textured throat feathers called hackels, which often articulate when they are calling as you can see in my story. Crows on the other hand have soft, hair like feathers which may puff out a bit as in this photo, but are noticeably less pronounced. So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed today’s game and will join again next week! And remember to send me photos you’d like to see used in a future game! #crow #raven #corvid #scicomm #scicommgame #birding #birdID #ilovecrows #iloveravens #game #quiz #instagameUPDATE: SOLD OUT but expect a restock soon! The Corvid Research merch shop is officially live!!! Link in bio. Hurry over there as supplies are somewhat limited (it’s my first time doing this and didn’t want to over-order). Designed by the talented @madisonerinmayfield, these vinyl stickers produced by @stickermule are weather resistant and can even survive a trip through the dishwasher! I have GO the crow, black-billed magpie, and Canada jay stickers, along with two different CR logos. See something you want in a different size or style? Let me know! I’ll be tweaking things as I figure out what people want. And you best believe this line will be expanding soon to include yet even more of your corvid loves. Happy corviding! #wildlifestickers #crow #jay #magpie #blackbilledmagpie #canadajay #greyjay #whiskyjack #camprobber #GOthecrow #diecutstickers #stickermule #birdstickers #bird #nature #merch #bandedbird #birdnerd #birdscience #sciencestickers
