Stan’s Notes: A familiar bird. Often reuses its nest every year if not taken over by a Great Horned Owl. Collects and stores bright, shiny objects in the nest. Mimics other birds and human voices. One of the smartest of all birds and very social, often entertaining itself by provoking chases with other birds. Eats roadkill but rarely hit by vehicles. May live up to 20 years. Unmated birds, called helpers, help raise the young. Large extended families roost together at night, dispersing daily to hunt. American and Fish Crows are best distinguished by their remarkably different calls. The American gives a harsh “caw”; the Fish gives a nasal, high-pitched “cah.”
in flight
Common Raven
Corvus corax
YEAR-ROUND
| Size: | 22-27" (56-69 cm) |
| Male: | Large all-black bird with a large black bill, a shaggy beard of feathers on the throat and chin, and a large wedge-shaped tail, as seen in flight. |
| Female: | same as male |
| Juvenile: | same as adult |
| Nest: | platform; female and male construct; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 4-6; pale green with brown markings |
| Incubation: | 18-21 days; female incubates |
| Fledging: | 38-44 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | non-migrator; moves around to find food |
| Food: | insects, fruit, small animals, carrion |
| Compare: | Larger than its cousin, the American Crow, which lacks shaggy throat feathers. Glides on flat, outstretched wings unlike the slight V-shaped wing pattern of the American Crow. Listen for the Raven’s deep, low raspy call to distinguish it from the higher-pitched American Crow. |
Stan’s Notes: Considered by some people to be the smartest of all birds. Known for its aerial acrobatics and long swooping dives. Sometimes scavenges with crows and gulls. A cooperative hunter that often communicates the location of a good source of food to other ravens. Complex courtship includes grabbing bills, preening each other and cooing. Most begin to breed at 3-4 years. Mates for life. Uses the same nest site for many years.
soaring
juvenile
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
SUMMER
| Size: | 26-32" (66-80 cm); up to 6-foot wingspan |
| Male: | Large bird with an obvious red head and legs. In flight, the wings appear two-toned: black leading edge with gray on the trailing edge and tip. The tips of wings end in finger-like projections. Long squared tail. Ivory bill. |
| Female: | same as male |
| Juvenile: | similar to adult, with a gray-to-blackish head and bill |
| Nest: | no nest, or minimal nest on a cliff or in a cave; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 1-3; white with brown markings |
| Incubation: | 38-41 days; female and male incubate |
| Fledging: | 66-88 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to southern states, Mexico and Central and South America |
| Food: | carrion; parents regurgitate for young |
| Compare: | Bald Eagle is larger and lacks two-toned wings. Unlike the Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture holds its wings in a slight V shape during flight. |
Stan’s Notes: The vulture’s naked head is an adaptation to reduce risk of feather fouling (picking up diseases) from carcasses. Unlike hawks and eagles, it has weak feet more suited to walking than grasping. One of the few birds that has a developed sense of smell. Mostly mute, making only grunts and groans. Seen in trees with wings outstretched, sunning itself. Recent studies show this bird is closely related to storks, not birds of prey.
in flight
juvenile
crests
drying
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
MIGRATION
SUMMER
| Size: | 33" (84 cm); up to 4⅓-foot wingspan |
| Male: | Large black water bird with a long snake-like neck. Long gray bill with yellow at the base and a hooked tip. |
| Female: | same as male |
| Juvenile: | lighter brown with a grayish chest and neck |
| Nest: | platform, in a colony; male and female build; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 3-4; bluish white without markings |
| Incubation: | 25-29 days; female and male incubate |
| Fledging: | 37-42 days; male and female feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to southern states, Mexico and Central America |
| Food: | small fish, aquatic insects |
| Compare: | Turkey Vulture is similar in size and also perches on branches with wings open to dry in the sun, but it has a naked red head. American Coot lacks the long neck and long pointed bill. |
Stan’s Notes: Often seen flying in a large V formation. Usually roosts in large groups in trees near water. Swims underwater to catch fish, holding its wings at its sides. Lacks the oil gland that keeps feathers from becoming waterlogged. To dry off, it strikes an erect pose with wings outstretched, facing the sun. The common name refers to the two crests on its head, which are not usually seen. “Cormorant” comes from the Latin words corvus, meaning “crow,” and L. marinus, meaning “pertaining to the sea,” literally, “Sea Crow.”