Thread by @corvidresearch

Need more #coRvid in your timeline RN? I got you. First let’s look at some pictures, as it is a known FACT that corvids are straight up beautiful. (a crow, a raven, a magpie, a crow)

(A leucistic crow, a crow, a Canada jay, a crow)

(Two crows preening, a handsome raven, a Canada jay, a curious raven)

Ok now let’s talk about breeding. While we’re busy holed up at home, these birds are busy getting ready to make beautiful hard oval babies.

(Egg pic from Kevin McGowen)

American crows can nest in a wide variety of places from big stately trees to under highway overpasses. Their nests are about the diameter of a serving platter and are made mostly from sticks and lined with soft stuff.

Here’s my favorite nest from last year. Iconic.

Typically they lay 3-6 eggs, which the female is responsible for incubating. During this time the male will feed her, though she will take breaks to feed herself too. You can read more on nests here: corvidresearch.blog/2016/03/29/eve…

When crows hatch, they are blind and naked. This is what it means to produce altricial young. If you’re feathered and mobile right away, like ducklings or chickens, your young are called precocial (or nidifugous, which is a pretty fun word). All songbirds have altricial young.

And yes, corvids are songbirds. Common ravens are the largest songbird in the world. Songbird is not defined by what they sound like, but by the vocal anatomy of how they do it.

After about 35 days the babies will be ready to fledge. Something very important you should know though: they are V cute.

Wait no, I mean they are but that’s not what I meant to tell you. I just got distracted 😍. What I meant to tell you was that they may very well leave the nest before they can fly. This is normal!

This is very important to know because many babies are accidentally abducted by well meaning people who assume they’ve fallen out of the nest. So follow these questions to ensure you don’t become an abductor:

Is the baby hurt (bleeding, limping, etc)? YES—>call rehab facility.

Is the baby hurt—>NO 👇

Is it fully feathered? —>NO: secure makeshift nest to tree (like berry basket) & watch from a distance for 2h to see if parents come.
Is it fully feathered? —>YES. Leave alone.

That’s pretty much it. If you want more details visit this post. corvidresearch.blog/2015/05/28/hel…

How can you tell it’s a baby? Look for blue eyes and pink at the mouth corners.

It will also be making a very silly Wahhhh wahhhhh sound.

So, something to look forward to this spring after all. Remember, our social lives might be canceled, but nature isn’t. There’s a lot of neat stuff happening right outside your window even in the middle of the city. That’s why I love crows 😊