Free Flash Slideshow by cu3ox.com v1.1

Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature: Crows, Jays, & Magpies


The Corvidae family includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers, and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size for the bird order Passeriformes. Some of the larger species show levels of learned behavior of a high degree. There are 120 species world wide, 21 North American species, and 11 Californian species.

American Crow are large, black birds with dark, stout bill, iridescent violet gloss on body, and blue-black wings. Tail is fan-shaped in flight. The American Crow eats insects, small invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, eggs and young of other birds, grains, fruits, refuse, and carrion. Crows have a steady direct flight. A crow will stand over an anthill and allow the ants to climb onto its feathers. One theory is that this allows the ants to discharge their formic acid, thus making them more palatable to the crow.

The American Crow has been greatly affected by the recent introduction of West Nile virus to North America. An infected bird will die in less than a week. In some areas the loss of crows has been substantial. Crows have been taught to mimic the human voice. They can count and work out solutions to simple problems and are fascinated with and collect shiny objects such as rings, keys and foil.
western scrub jays enjoy California nature The “blue jay” of dry Western lowlands, the Western Scrub-Jay combines deep azure blue with dusty gray-brown and white. The rounded, crestless head immediately sets it apart from Blue Jays and Steller’s Jays. The western scrub jay is found in most of California except the southern desert, the lower central valley, and the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevadas.

Western Scrub-Jays have a mischievous streak, and they’re not above outright theft. They’ve been caught stealing acorns from Acorn Woodpecker caches and robbing seeds and pine cones from Clark’s Nutcrackers. They even seem aware of their guilt: some scrub-jays steal acorns they’ve watched other jays hide. When these birds go to hide their own acorns, they check first that no other jays are watching.

You might see Western Scrub-Jays standing on the back of a mule deer. They’re picking off and eating ticks and other parasites. The deer seem to appreciate the help, often standing still and holding up their ears to give the jays access.
The Steller's Jay shows a great deal of regional variation throughout its range. Blackish-brown-headed birds from the north gradually become bluer-headed farther south. The Steller's Jay has a more slender bill and longer legs than the Blue Jay and has a much more pronounced crest. The head is blackish-brown with light blue streaks on the forehead. This dark coloring gives way from the shoulders and lower breast to silvery blue. The primaries and tail are a rich blue with darker barring.

Like all jays, its calls are numerous and variable. Notably, its alarm call is a harsh nasal "wah". It also imitates the cry of the Red-tailed Hawk and Red-shouldered Hawk, which has the effect of causing other birds to vacate feeding areas at the Steller's Jay's approach. Some calls are sex-specific; females produce a rattling sound while males make a high-pitched "gleep".

As they are omnivores, their diet is about two-thirds plant matter and one third animal matter. Food is gathered from both the ground and from trees. The Steller's Jay's diet consists of a wide range of seeds, nuts, berries and other fruit. Many types of invertebrates, eggs, small rodents, and nestlings are also eaten.
The common Raven is a smart bird and enjoys life in California The Common Raven has coexisted with humans for thousands of years and in some areas has been so numerous that it is considered a pest. Part of its success comes from its omnivorous diet; Common Ravens are extremely versatile and opportunistic in finding sources of nutrition, feeding on carrion, insects, cereal grains, berries, fruit, small animals, and food waste.

Common Raven are residents from the Aleutians, northern Alaska and northern Canada south throughout the western United States to Minnesota and the Great Lakes. A group of ravens has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "constable", "rant", "storytelling", and "unkindness" of ravens.

Common Ravens engage in seemingly playful acts such as yanking the tails of cats and dogs. This may account for the fact that American Indian folklore often portrays them as tricksters. In many cultures it is viewed as an auspicious symbol of wisdom, fertility and creation. However in the Christian tradition it is considered a bird of ill omen, heralding evil, warfare and death.

Common Ravens are a large raven with an all-black body, large, stout bill, and wedge-shaped tail. The Common Raven eats invertebrates, vertebrates, insects, carrion, refuse, eggs and young of other birds, and rodents. A strong flyer, the common raven alternates several deep wing beats with long glides on flat wings and soars on thermals, updrafts.
The Yellow-billed magpie is a large and beautiful bird. Its long black tail is iridescent and its wing feathers are shades of blue, green and white. The characteristic that makes them so special is their yellow beak. There is a similar and more wide spread species with a black bill. The yellow billed magpie is found only in California.

The yellow-billed magpie feeds mainly on animal matter, including insects, bird eggs, nestling, and carrion, They will also eat acorns, seeds, grass, and berries. They will also eat poisoned grains left for killing ground California ground squirrels. Large portions of a population get wiped out.

This is a special bird to us, here in California, because it is endemic to this region, that is it is found only here. It inhabits the central valley and coastal valleys of California, preferring open oak woodlands.
Blackbirds    California Condor    Cardinals    Cranes    Crows, Jays, & Magpies   Eagles    Finches    Flycatchers    Hawks Hummingbirds    Owls    Game Birds    Raptors    Shore Birds    Sparrows    Tanager    Thrushes    Vultures    Wading Birds Warblers      Woodpeckers      Wrens
 
 
Website Created by Website Creations

About us      Privacy Disclaimer      Advertisers     Contact Us     Bookstore    Sitemap     Search    Floridian Nature