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.
― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 20 October 2005 15:52 (eighteen years ago) link
― Aimless (Aimless), Thursday, 20 October 2005 16:03 (eighteen years ago) link
― jones (actual), Thursday, 20 October 2005 16:43 (eighteen years ago) link
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.
― Mackro Mackro, Monday, 18 August 2008 19:13 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― Abbott, Monday, 18 August 2008 19:19 (fifteen years ago) link
Yes, I knew this from reading George RR Martin books in which some crows talk. I learned everything I ever knew from genre lit.
― Laurel, Monday, 18 August 2008 19:20 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― Abbott, Monday, 18 August 2008 19:24 (fifteen years ago) link
Ca-CAWWW ca-CAWW
― elmo argonaut, Monday, 18 August 2008 19:25 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― joygoat, Monday, 18 August 2008 19:32 (fifteen years ago) link
I liked waking up to all the magpies.
― Abbott, Monday, 18 August 2008 19:53 (fifteen years ago) link
here is a neat talk about crows: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html
― rrrobyn, Monday, 18 August 2008 20:04 (fifteen years ago) link
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?)
― Masonic Boom, Monday, 18 August 2008 20:20 (fifteen years ago) link
ROOK is a card game, that IIRC, involves putting cards on a table or possibly forcing people to trade them.
― Abbott, Monday, 18 August 2008 20:26 (fifteen years ago) link
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
― ledge, Thursday, 22 March 2012 11:57 (twelve years ago) link
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!
― Valéry Giscard d'Staind (NickB), Thursday, 22 March 2012 12:02 (twelve years ago) link
Does look kingfisheresque, but it's an Indochinese Green Magpie apparently.
― ledge, Thursday, 22 March 2012 12:04 (twelve years ago) link
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!
― Valéry Giscard d'Staind (NickB), Thursday, 22 March 2012 12:05 (twelve years ago) link
I would have gone straight to the wrong section of the field guide obviously.
― Valéry Giscard d'Staind (NickB), Thursday, 22 March 2012 12:06 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― ledge, Thursday, 22 March 2012 12:10 (twelve years ago) link
It's true, those rooks with their big brainy shiny dome heads and scruffy trousers.
― Valéry Giscard d'Staind (NickB), Thursday, 22 March 2012 12:13 (twelve years ago) link
i just saw a crow divebombing a smaller bird that was flying through the same airspace. must be dinnertime!
― judy rae jetson (get bent), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 01:42 (eleven years ago) link
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
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 01:50 (eleven years ago) link
I see you trying to sneak yer icterids into our thread of corvids.
― Jesu swept (ledge), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 08:20 (eleven years ago) link
*blushes*
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 11:24 (eleven years ago) link
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.
― Lewis Apparition (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 18:28 (eleven years ago) link
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
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 28 June 2012 00:53 (eleven years ago) link
i think i have an irrational fear of crows
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Friday, 28 July 2017 22:14 (six years ago) link
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.
― albvivertine, Saturday, 29 July 2017 01:12 (six years ago) link
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.
― albvivertine, Saturday, 29 July 2017 01:14 (six years ago) link
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.
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Saturday, 29 July 2017 01:49 (six years ago) link
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.
― just1n3, Saturday, 29 July 2017 04:26 (six years ago) link
Oh I'd love that.
― albvivertine, Saturday, 29 July 2017 04:48 (six years ago) link
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/
― just1n3, Saturday, 29 July 2017 17:41 (six years ago) link
^ that's great
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Saturday, 29 July 2017 17:51 (six years ago) link
Fake magpie.
(I find it odd how different the birds with the same names in UK and US usually are)
― koogs, Saturday, 29 July 2017 17:53 (six years ago) link
That photo was taken in New Zealand!
― just1n3, Saturday, 29 July 2017 18:00 (six years ago) link
(and Australasia)
Oh, American and European magpies are related but the Australian ones are unrelated and aren't corvids.
― koogs, Saturday, 29 July 2017 18:02 (six years ago) link
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)
― koogs, Saturday, 29 July 2017 18:15 (six years ago) link
Timely!
― Hilarity Winner (doo dah), Saturday, 29 July 2017 20:02 (six years ago) link
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.
― koogs, Saturday, 29 July 2017 20:44 (six years ago) link
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/28/return-canuck-crow-notorious-birds-bloody-attacks-force-canada/
― weird echo of the falsies (Tom D.), Saturday, 29 July 2017 20:47 (six years ago) link
This is a typical view when eating lunch on clapham common. No crumbs from me, pals.
http://i.imgur.com/6VeZgEv.jpg
― The XX pants (ledge), Monday, 31 July 2017 12:53 (six years ago) link
Tom, that link is insane
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Tuesday, 1 August 2017 04:30 (six years ago) link
great doc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89C5gsdaSXg
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Friday, 11 August 2017 06:05 (six years ago) link
I fucking love crows
― -_- (jim in vancouver), Friday, 11 August 2017 06:45 (six years ago) link
Photo from Clapham common also seems to be behaviour during storms here and after it's rained. Do they eat worms? Would seem to be the one likely explanation for them doing that here since there are rarely p[eople around when I see them doing that.
Also really interesting watching interplay of different bird species around teh marketplace on Sunday when it becomes more of a food court. Tend to be some kind of corvid, seagulls and pigeons. Corvid which is probably a crow has intelligence and can open closed food containers i.e. can undo the catch on the plastic food tray that my Indian takeaway running friend uses or can work out where to peck through on a plastic tray among other skills. Seagulls have apparently learnt how to peck through food trays from the crows. Pigeons seem to need food to be placed in front of them for it to register. Wondering now if that is over-domestication or something.
― Stevolende, Friday, 11 August 2017 08:39 (six years ago) link
Crows tap the ground to simulate rain so worms come up, yeah
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Friday, 11 August 2017 18:32 (six years ago) link
There's a tree along my driveway that's dense enough to keep out most predators so for the second season running, the local scrub jays have used it for their HQ nest. They like grabbing pieces of dead flowers from my dining room window, but split as soon as we're done regarding each other and I try to take a photo. This one is through the kitchen window.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1735/41667779635_369c0f504a_k.jpg
― Elvis Telecom, Friday, 8 June 2018 02:08 (five years ago) link
i saw a sunbathing crow last friday. the path i was on went within 6ft of it and it just sat there not caring.
― koogs, Friday, 8 June 2018 08:37 (five years ago) link
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
― flopson, Friday, 14 June 2019 19:37 (four years ago) link
Definitely the lesser evil where seagulls are concerned.
― stress tweeting (gyac), Friday, 14 June 2019 19:39 (four years ago) link
Crows harrass hawks and eagles here (PNW) , follow them around and caw and just bug them. Funny from a distance!
― alomar lines, Friday, 14 June 2019 19:53 (four years ago) link
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.
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
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 22 December 2022 03:12 (one year ago) link
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
― mark s, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:00 (eight months ago) link
got to say when these gentlemen have promised me JOY they've rarely delivered
― School of RAAC (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:01 (eight months ago) link
magLIE moar liek
― mark s, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:05 (eight months ago) link
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.
― Tim, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:10 (eight months ago) link
the internet is trying to convince me that the magpie's call is "wock wock wock-a-wock, wock pjur, weer weer"
― mark s, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:13 (eight months ago) link
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
― imago, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:26 (eight months ago) link
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.
― assert (matttkkkk), Thursday, 7 September 2023 13:25 (eight months ago) link