Re: Great Tailed Grackles, Mourning Doves, and Me

Bill Kinkaid <davelister@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
news:3i5i24laule4sf80pbpt4lbdgubhmklgpf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 

> On Mon, 12 May 2008 23:43:09 -0400, Sean Houtman <grommit383@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> wrote:
> 
>>Snidely <Snidely.too@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in news:4d4a489c-e409-4d25-83aa-
>>dfa941fce772@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> 
>>> How would I know if I have crows or ravens?  Is it the size, or the
>>> shape of the attack formation.
>>> 
>>
>>There is something about the shape of the tail in flight, one is 
>>triangular, the other is rhomboidal, I always forget which.
>>
>>The most obvious difference is that the raven stands nearly twice as
>>tall as a crow. Perhaps 16 inches for a raven, and about 9 inches for
>>a crow. 
>>
> In flight, the end of a raven's tail is wedge-shaped, while a crow's
> is square. Ravens tend to soar while crows flap steadily. And ravens
> are more solitary or in pairs, while crows move in flocks. Both birds
> make all sorts of sounds but crows generally have the high-pitched
> "caw caw caw" constantly, while a raven is generally content with the
> odd low-pitched "skrawk".
> 
> On the ground or perched, a raven is big. The size of a large duck or
> chicken. When you see a raven in front of you you'll know it; if
> you're not sure, it's probably a crow.
> 

Ravens often learn other sounds. When I was in college there were a few 
birds on campus which would kind of hunch over, and then produce a very 
good "ding-dong". That would get some attention from students who would 
wonder how a doorbell got up in that tree. I am positive that there were 
more than one bird doing it, as I heard the bell at other places around 
town as well.

Sean

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