BREEDING BIRDS: AMERICAN CROW, COMMON RAVEN

AMERICAN CROW

(Corvus brachyrhynchos)

COMMON RAVEN

(Corvus corax)

Description: While the coloration is similar, one primary difference between these birds is size: the adult crow is about 17 1/2 inches long, while the raven is about 24 inches. In flight, the crow’s fan-shaped tail is distinct from the wedge-shaped tail of the raven.

Habitat: The American crow is common in lowland areas of Orange County, while the common raven is generally found in hilly and mountainous areas and some coastal locations.

Diet: Crows eat insects and other invertebrates, carrion, small vertebrates and seeds. Ravens eat primarily carrion, along with small vertebrates, insects and other invertebrates, garbage, seeds and fruit.

Call: The raven’s call is a low, drawn-out croak, while the crow is readily identified by its familiar caw .

Display: The male raven performs an acrobatic aerial display of soaring, wheeling and tumbling; the pair will often soar together, wingtips touching; they will also perch together, preen and bill. The male crow will wheel and dive in pursuit of the female; in tree or on ground, the males spreads his wings and tail, fluffs body feathers and bows to female while singing. Pair perch together, preen and bill.

Nest: Both birds usually build their nests in trees from branches and twigs lined with shreds of bark or hair. Ravens sometimes build their nests on human-built structures, even high-rise buildings.

Eggs: The raven’s eggs are greenish and marked with brown, about 2 inches long; a crow egg is bluish-green to olive green and marked with brown, about 1 1/2 inches long.

Natural history notes: Once shy of man, populations of both birds are growing rapidly in California’s urban and suburban areas. Considered among the most adaptable and intelligent of birds, crows and ravens are able to use tools--crows, for instance, will drop mussel shells from great heights to crack the shell. The birds’ breeding areas do not overlap a great deal, as indicated by the maps.

Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas (now in its fifth and final year), call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160.

Note: Maps are divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).

Indicates 5-kilometer-square areas where breeding activity has been confirmed.

DR, RUSS ARASMITH / Los Angeles Times