Crows, Rooks, Ravens, Jackdaws, Jays and Magpies

http://scrubs.ground-level.org/lnr/

here are a bunch of alternatives: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/boardarchives/2000/oct2000/countingcrows.html

the magpie was back again today. i think i might have to start encouraging it with mealworms.

I may have seen a crow or blackbird at some point but I'm pretty sure I've never seen a raven. Do we even have ravens in the US? Should look it up.

HOLY SHIT, CROWS TALK!

I was walking around with friends after having a drink or two yesterday in my neighborhood. We pass under a crow, and I yell out "HELLO, CROW! :-D". A few seconds pass, then really loudly, the crow sounded back in this distorted robotic voice "Heeeee-LO". Then we all turned around and went WTF at each other.

I said "HELLO" again. The crow said "HeEeEeE-LO" again.

I had no fucking idea.

Corvids are the smartest damn things in the world.

I was thinking the other day, the thing I miss the most about Idaho is magpies.

Yes, I knew this from reading George RR Martin books in which some crows talk. I learned everything I ever knew from genre lit.

You should read Mind of the Raven, Mackro. And everyone else. They roll down snowy hills together, playing and scooping snow at one another. They talk, too.

Ca-CAWWW ca-CAWW

I was thinking the other day, the thing I miss the most about Idaho is magpies.

I guess I can see missing them - I kind of miss seagulls now that they aren't around all the time - but magpies are so annoying. Especially when you have a flock of them squawking right outside your bedroom window early in the morning.

It is kind of awesome to watch a crew of magpies battle a red-tailed hawk though.

I liked waking up to all the magpies.

here is a neat talk about crows: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html

Who on earth was TGL?

Where was this thread when Mark H, Johnny B and I were arguing about whether the massive black birds on Hampstead Heath were crows or rooks?

Where there's crows, that's a rock. Where there's a rook, that's a crow.

I'm so confused. WHITE SPOT. WHITE SPOT ON BEAK = ROOK. Is that the rule of thumb? (or beak as the case may be?)

ROOK is a card game, that IIRC, involves putting cards on a table or possibly forcing people to trade them.

so many beautiful magpies, who knew?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Thimindu_2010_02_20_Sinharaja_Sri_Lanka_Blue_Magpie_1.jpg/220px-Thimindu_2010_02_20_Sinharaja_Sri_Lanka_Blue_Magpie_1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Cissa_hypoleucor_concolor_qtl1.jpg/220px-Cissa_hypoleucor_concolor_qtl1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Urocissa_erythrorhyncha.jpg/800px-Urocissa_erythrorhyncha.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Cissa_chinensis_-Chiang_Mai_Zoo%2C_Thailand-8a.jpg/398px-Cissa_chinensis_-Chiang_Mai_Zoo%2C_Thailand-8a.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Urocissa_caerulea.jpg/800px-Urocissa_caerulea.jpg

Second one down looks like a species of kingfisher rather than some sort of corvid. Magpie kingfisher perhaps? All of those are beautiful though!

Does look kingfisheresque, but it's an Indochinese Green Magpie apparently.

But then again, his tail is long and magpie-like and his beak is shorter than a kingfishers, so I'm clearly talking out of my underpants.

xp- oh right, thanks!

I would have gone straight to the wrong section of the field guide obviously.

My handy tip for telling crows from rooks: crows look like they mean business. They could be bouncers - only for exclusive high-end clubs though. Rooks look like mad old professors.

It's true, those rooks with their big brainy shiny dome heads and scruffy trousers.

i just saw a crow divebombing a smaller bird that was flying through the same airspace. must be dinnertime!

saw 1 of these guys out jogging earlier, nvr noticed these dudes b4, looked hella boss, the red/orange was just like piping u could barely see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_Blackbird

I see you trying to sneak yer icterids into our thread of corvids.

*blushes*

When I go home to Minnesota and I hear the redwing blackbirds calling it always puts me in the best mood.

Corvids = the best of all families. My power animals. Another good book about corvid smarts: Bird Brains.

We have a pet starling that we raised from a rescued chick, and he's not a corvid (closest relative - Mynah Bird) but he talks like CRAZAY. He acquires words and then goes all jazzbo stringing them together in different sequences, mixed up with nonsense muttering.

There are some great Youtubes of talky ravens. My favorite is the one whose phrase is 'Hello TERRY' spoken with the greatest disdain.

i watched hitchcock's the birds today, for the first time, somewhat randomly (i have an admittedly rather aspie way of picking what movie to watch of what i have on hand & it doesnt involve what weird threads are bumped) & right after i went out on my front porch to go jogging & was looking down fiddling w/ my ipod & i swear 2 god a bird FLEW @ MY FACE

i think i have an irrational fear of crows

Are there any around? If so it isn't irrational, they can really slice you up. I once got attacked by one that was nesting (presumably) nearby, while walking a few km's to the next town. It felt like it'd just hit me, until blood started spurting on to my shirt. I cleaned that up, got to the shop and was happily served while buying some wine, got home and discovered the entire side of my head was matted with blood. South Auckland liquor stores see some shit, I suppose.

Oh it was a magpie tho, which're p similar. These birds (corvids) are the best. So many cool videos of them solving puzzles that'd stump some ppl I've known.

crazy story albvivertine :-/

there's tons of crows around, some in the trees in front of my place. Yeah they're smart and their face recognition is pretty nuts.

one of my friends has a pet magpie, and she's amazing (she lives in taranaki, albvivertine) - super friendly, loves to be petted, will happily snuggle. she was found in a forest, fell out of her nest quite young, i think? and some forest ranger dude gave her to my friend to look after, and she's just stuck around. they also have a tripod cat and big old german shepherd (cop school reject), and she chases them both around.

Oh I'd love that.

Not sure if I can link to instagram but here's a photo of me hanging out with Yoda and trying really hard not to laugh

https://instagram.com/p/BMiZO9rFtkFLsIqYFoOydKd-7qsoCUj3fCeKPw0/

^ that's great

Fake magpie.

(I find it odd how different the birds with the same names in UK and US usually are)

That photo was taken in New Zealand!

(and Australasia)

Oh, American and European magpies are related but the Australian ones are unrelated and aren't corvids.

Sorry, that sounded more dismissive than i meant it to be.

English magpies are, for something that it just black and white, quite striking in a way the others don't seem to be (based on photos I've seen)

(Sat here watching Godzilla 1984 i can hear one outside somewhere)

Timely!

Nice. You can see the iridescence on the wings which makes them look slightly blue.

Oh, there was a guy with about 30 crows around him in Hyde park this afternoon, feeding them something.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/28/return-canuck-crow-notorious-birds-bloody-attacks-force-canada/

This is a typical view when eating lunch on clapham common. No crumbs from me, pals.

http://i.imgur.com/6VeZgEv.jpg

Tom, that link is insane

great doc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89C5gsdaSXg

Recently moved to a high-up place where crows perch in the treetops outside. Wish I could open up the windows and invite them in, but our neighbors are total narcs and would rat us out to management.

A magpie came and sat on my (open) window just now - I think it trying to work out how to get into my room.

you and your twinkly trinkets

Yeah I've had a couple of them doing that recently too

Something's going down

When we were in Istanbul the place was full of hooded crows and you’d see them attacking - and seeing off - seagulls that were easily three times their size. Fearless lads.

since moving to a city where crows dive bomb pedestrians during mating season and caw aggressively at every passerby, i don’t love crows so much

Definitely the lesser evil where seagulls are concerned.

Crows harrass hawks and eagles here (PNW) , follow them around and caw and just bug them. Funny from a distance!

Raven Joins Road Trip, Drafts Off Car for 45 Minutes

A couple driving along a lonely stretch of snowy Canadian highway had some unexpected company — a raven that used their car’s draft to hitch a ride for 45 minutes.

Alex Lavoie, Jodi Young, and their cat were driving from a job in the Yukon back home to British Columbia when an enterprising avian swooped in front of their car, spread its wings, and soared along in front of them for the better part of an hour. Lavoie couldn’t quite believe his eyes.

After about 25 minutes, Lavoie and Young stopped to feed their feline, and to their surprise, the raven joined them in their pit stop. The couple tossed the bird some cat treats, then all four travelers got back on the road. The clever Corvid drafted along for another 20 minutes or so before flying off with another member of its species.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Eu_3j8-uwM

two gangs of four pies on the way out to the shops and back again: perhaps the same gang twice (?) silently but gleamingly letting me know that IT'S A BOY

tho not where i might meet him or how i might (*creepy pinocchio voice*) become him

got to say when these gentlemen have promised me JOY they've rarely delivered

magLIE moar liek

I recently saw a magpie absolutely torment a big dumb seagull who was sitting in a pool of water that the magpie wanted. After a while the seagull grumped off, it was a joy to behold.

the internet is trying to convince me that the magpie's call is "wock wock wock-a-wock, wock pjur, weer weer"

https://gifdb.com/images/high/fozzie-bear-waiting-for-laughter-pl9qhp2nb2job4ck.gif

there was an almighty cachinnation of jays in a client's garden earlier. yesterday two jackdaws let me walk right past them. they're waiting for their moment I swear

In Canberra visiting my brother, a small grey butcher bird came and sat on the chair beside me for a few minutes at eye level. I wasn’t sure if it was interested by me or deciding whether to take my eye out. Magic experience. It flew a short way away into a tree and I cut a scrap of steak for it, which it caught off the bounce.