28.03.2024

Common Raven

Common Raven is the largest bird not only in the family of corvids, but also in the passerine. Its body length is about 64 cm and it can weigh up to 1.5 kg. the Crow is easily recognized by the large size, the common “crow’s” appearance and in drab black with a metallic luster color.

Noteworthy is the large and powerful beak of this bird and a kind of voice – guttural cawing with many shades and variants.Throughout the year, ravens are kept in pairs. Hearing over the forest a hoarse “KRU-KRU” and looking back, you can almost always find the eyes of the other bird.

Now the crows were the most common birds, rare and out of the city without having to not to see at least a couple of these birds. There was a time when I deliberately went for a 75 km from Moscow to see the ravens nest in the old spruce forest at station Golitsyno.

Nesting crow

To nest the crows start before all our birds, except Klestov and rock pigeons, which can lay eggs and in winter. In the middle lane they are already in January start their spectacular aerial games above the forest, and in March, begin construction of new or repaired old nests sometimes used for many years. Nests are in large trees, usually at high altitude, often below 20 m on the ground, so hard to reach for surveillance. In the last decades under Moscow some ravens started to build nests on metal masts of high-voltage transmission lines. In the East, in the steppe regions, I have found nests of ravens under the high roofs of wooden buildings, and on the North on the ledges. Known to nest of these birds on the towers and city towers.

Raven’s nest is very similar to the ordinary nest of a crow, only bigger. Outside it is composed of dry, rather thick branches, and inside lined with wool. In Central Russia female Raven lay their first eggs at the beginning of March, and since then does not leave the nest. Male from time to time flies to feed their hatching friend. The clutch of 3-7 eggs. They are greenish or grayish-bluish color, and scattered dark surface and lighter deep stains.

Externally, the eggs of the Raven is very similar to the eggs of the crows, but much larger. The average value of them 49,7×33,4 mm. Incubation lasts about 3 weeks. Young the Raven boys leave the nest in late may. By the end of the breeding cycle of the land under the Raven’s nest is heavily soiled white blotches litter. Here you can find pellets of birds, and sometimes remnants of food brought by birds to their nestlings, and, usually, at least 1-2 blue-black, them lost pen.

The power crow

The Raven is a scavenger. Near slaughterhouses or fisheries fishing and hunting these birds sometimes gather in large numbers. They are very bold predators. If Raven decides not to attack adult gray rat, Raven, fearlessly attacks her and kills a few strokes of the beak. You see, and a couple of minutes had passed since the attack, and he already carries a dead rat in some private place, where it will not interfere with the meal. When sated, the Raven will leave this place, she is not only the bloody snow, trampled by large feet. He usually eats only animal without a trace. Solved the Raven attack larger prey, such as the sick or injured large birds and even hares.

Traces of crow when moving step (left) and irregular

When in the woods appears carrion crows often learn about it via the excited chirping of forty or crows. However, he is cautious and in no hurry to abundant food and coming down from the tree only after will be convinced in perfect security. Despite the powerful beak, strong the skin of a moose or cow proclivity it is very difficult, so he begins to eat carrion after a dog or a Fox will gnaw through the skin, or if he find any wounds on the body of the animal. Have a dead sheep or dog Raven vyklevyvaet eyes, but large cow he can’t do it.

Regurgitates crow can be found not only under the nesting tree. Sometimes they manage to find under the trees and the cliffs, where bird roost. They resemble pellets of crows that come across quite often, but they’re bigger than a crow- (6×2,2) – (4,3×2,7) see pogodki usually Consist of wool eaten by animals and embedded in her bone fragments. Often they notice the seeds of cultivated cereals. In the southern regions meet regurgitates the ravens, consisting entirely of any fruit, such as half-digested berries of ephedra.

The droppings of these birds can be in the form of semi-liquid rasplyvsheysya white blobs, more dense, short “sausage” of dark color, but with one end covered with the white stuff – it all depends on the food eaten. The value of such “sausages” of about 4.5×0.8 cm

Traces of crow

Paw prints to find the Raven quite easily, one only has to leave the city and walk across the field or along the edge of the forest. On the prints of its paws it is easy to notice different kinds of individual characteristics. You can, for example, to draw attention to the fact that the prints left by different crows, differ markedly in magnitude.

Typically, larger prints belong to males and smaller females. The male leaves a mark (11,4×4,8) – (12,5×5), and the female is about 10.5×4 cm long claw on the middle finger to 1.7, and on the back – 2 see Raven Moves or measured steps with a length of 16-20 cm, oblique, or irregular, placing one foot slightly ahead of the other.

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