common raven- the largest bird not only in the corvidae family, but also in the entire sparrow order. Its body length is about 64 cm, and it can weigh up to 1.5 kg. The crow is easily recognizable by its large size, general "crow" appearance and monotonous black color with a metallic sheen. Attention is drawn to the large and powerful beak of this bird and a peculiar voice - a guttural croak, which has many shades and options.
Throughout the year, crows keep in pairs. Hearing a hoarse “kru-kru” above the forest and looking around, you can almost always find the second bird with your eyes. Now crows have become the most common birds, and a rare trip out of town is complete without seeing at least a couple of these birds. And there was a time when I specially traveled 75 km from Moscow to look at the crows nesting in the old spruce forest near the station. Golitsino.
Raven's nest
Crows begin nesting earlier than all our birds, with the exception of crossbills and rock pigeons, which can lay eggs even in the middle of winter. AT middle lane already in January they begin their spectacular aerial games over the forest, and in March they start building new or repairing old nests, which are sometimes used for many years. Nests are located on large trees, usually at high altitude, often not lower than 20 m on the ground, therefore they are difficult to reach for observation. In recent decades, near Moscow, some crows have begun to build nests on the metal masts of high-voltage transmission lines. In the east, in the steppe regions, I found nests of ravens under the roofs of tall wooden buildings, and in the north - on ledges of rocks. There are known cases of nesting of these birds on bell towers and city towers.
The nest of a crow is very similar to the nest of an ordinary crow, only larger. Outside, it is composed of dry, rather thick branches, and lined with wool inside. In central Russia, female crows lay their first eggs at the very beginning of March, and since then they have not left the nest. The male comes from time to time to feed his incubating mate. Full clutch contains 3-7 eggs. They are greenish or grayish-bluish in color, over which dark superficial and lighter deep spots are scattered. Outwardly, crow eggs are very similar to crow eggs, but noticeably larger. Their average size is 49.7 × 33.4 mm. Incubation lasts about 3 weeks. Young cubs leave the nest at the end of May. By the end of the nesting cycle, the ground under the raven's nest is heavily soiled with white blots of droppings. Here you can also find bird pellets, sometimes the remains of food brought by birds to their chicks, and, as a rule, at least 1-2 blue-black feathers they have lost.
Crow food
Raven is a scavenger. Near slaughterhouses or in fishing and hunting trades, these birds sometimes gather in in large numbers. They are very brave predators. If a crow does not dare to attack an adult gray rat, then the raven fearlessly attacks it and kills it with a few blows of its beak. You look, and a couple of minutes have not passed since the moment of the attack, and he is already carrying a dead rat to some secluded place where he will not be disturbed to eat. When, satiated, the raven leaves this place, it remains only snow stained with blood, trampled by large paws. Usually he eats the whole animal without a trace. The raven decides to attack larger prey, for example, sick or injured large birds and even hares.
Traces of a raven when walking (left) and jumps
When carrion appears in the forest, the raven often recognizes this by the excited chirping of magpies or the cawing of crows. However, he is cautious and does not rush to plentiful food, but descends from the tree only after he is convinced of complete safety. Despite the powerful beak, it is very difficult for him to peck at the strong skin of an elk or cow, so he begins to eat carrion after dogs or foxes gnaw through the skin, or if he himself finds any wounds on the body of the animal. A raven pecks out the eyes of a fallen sheep or dog, but it cannot do this in a large cow.
Raven pellets can be found not only under the nesting tree. Sometimes they can be found under trees and rocks where birds spend the night. They resemble crow pellets, which come across quite often, but in a raven they are larger - (6 × 2.2) - (4.3 × 2.7) cm. The weather usually consists of the wool of eaten animals and fragments of bones embedded in it. Often in them you notice the seeds of cultivated cereals. In the southern regions, crow pellets are found, consisting entirely of some kind of fruit, for example, semi-digested ephedra berries.
The droppings of these birds can either be in the form of a semi-liquid blurred white blot, or in the form of a thicker short “sausage” of a dark color, but covered with a white coating at one end - it all depends on the food eaten. The size of such a "sausage" is about 4.5 × 0.8 cm.
Crow paw print
It is not difficult to find traces of crow's paws, you just have to go out of town and walk across the field or along the edge of the forest. On the prints of his paws, it is easy to notice all sorts of individual features. You can, for example, pay attention to the fact that the prints left by different crows differ markedly in size. As a rule, larger prints belong to males, and smaller prints belong to females. The male leaves an imprint (11.4 × 4.8) - (12.5 × 5), and the female is about 10.5 × 4 cm. The length of the claws on the middle fingers is up to 1.7, and on the hind fingers - 2 cm. Moves raven either with measured steps 16-20 cm long, or oblique jumps, placing one paw slightly in front of the other.
In Ivanovo, the Hooded Crow is the most common species of open nesting corvids. Observations of the nesting of the gray crow in Ivanovo were regularly carried out from 1990 to 2014. In the Ivanovo region, the crow starts building nests in the second half of March. In Ivanovo, gray crows renovate old nests and start building new ones during the February thaws. In the city, the first hooded crows incubating eggs were recorded at the end of March. Late clutches, possibly repeated, occur in the second decade of May. Nest building by gray crows lasts 7-8 days. Crows are most active in building nests in the morning. In cities, attempts to build nests in individual pairs of crows continue until the second decade of May. In May, crows build their nests relatively quickly, in 3-4 days (Ponomarev et al., 2004).
In residential areas of Ivanovo, the crow nests on 15 species of trees and shrubs. It has been noted to nest on power transmission poles on the outskirts of the city and in the industrial zone. The species composition of nesting trees used by the gray crow for building nests clearly depends on the species composition of the city's tree planting. Thus, the main trees used by the gray crow for nesting in the city were warty birch, small-leaved linden and balsam poplar (on average, up to 77.4% of total number nesting trees). The share of these three tree species in urban tree gardening is about 78.3% of all trees. The most numerous species of trees in the landscaping of the city is the warty birch. On average, half of the crow nests in the city of Ivanovo were on a birch. On poplar and linden, respectively, 14.1% and 8.6% of the counted nests were built. Among coniferous trees, hooded crows most often used Siberian larch (an introduced species) for nesting. An average of 9.3% of all nests were located on larch. In the landscaping of residential areas, larch makes up 5.6% of the total number of trees suitable for nesting crows. Isolated cases of crow nesting on Scotch pine and European spruce were noted: these tree species are few in the landscaping of city streets. Occasionally, crows nested on low trees and shrubs: on hawthorn, plum, bird cherry Maakka. The height of the nests of the gray crow in the surveyed areas of Ivanovo had a wide range and depended on the height, on the architectonics of the nesting tree, and to the greatest extent on anthropogenic pressure: disturbance, destruction of nests, cutting down and pruning of trees.
It is known that conifers and deciduous trees In the middle zone, there are significant differences in crown architectonics. Features of the architectonics of trees are undoubtedly of great ecological importance for birds building large nests (Doppelmair, 1939). The height of the location of crow nests above the ground in the city to a certain extent reflects the degree of disturbance, security and inaccessibility of nests in specific conditions. The distance from the ground to the nest is one of the important indicators when considering the plasticity of corvid nesting under anthropogenic conditions. The ratio between the height of the trees on which the nests are located and the distance from the ground to the nest naturally changes within certain limits for different types trees. However, when comparing the heights of the nests of the gray crow on deciduous and coniferous trees, a significant similarity was revealed. Naturally, the height of the tree itself is a limitation on the height of the nest. Additional evidence for this is the nesting of crows at a much higher height on power transmission poles, fire escape platforms of tall buildings, lighting masts of stadiums, etc. In general, crow nests built on trees with similar crown architectonics are placed in a similar way. One can note a tendency in the use of trees close in height and general architectonics by the hooded crow and identify groups of trees that allow this species to nest in a certain part of the crown, at a certain height.
There is a certain relationship between the height of the tree and the distance from the ground to the nest. So, as the height of the tree crown increases, the height of the nest also increases. But this trend can be violated - when the gray crow nests on very tall (20-25 m) trees for urban habitats or on trees whose crowns are disturbed by pruning. Balsam poplar is one such example. Under favorable hydrological conditions, poplar can relatively quickly reach gigantic sizes. After heavy pruning, the poplar, due to its rapid growth, produces new shoots, which are often not suitable for building crows' nests. In such cases, crows locate their nests approximately in the middle (40-50%) of the height of the nesting tree.
Thus, when nesting the gray crow on poplar (and on some other trees), the following types of nest location can be noted:
- "Normal" location of the nest on trees with intact crowns that have retained the natural architectonics typical for this type of tree, corresponding to the age state. On young, middle-aged, and old generative trees, the nests are usually located near the trunk of the tree, less often on the lateral branch, usually about 80% of its height is under the nest.
- Nest location in trees modified by pruning. The nest is located on (or) near the old part of the tree, about 40% of its height is located near the trunk under the nest, the crows use young, middle-aged generative trees.
- The nest is located on very large old generative or senile trees. The nest is located, as a rule, in the main forks of the lateral branches of the crown, under the nest there is 40-60% of the height of the tree.
Of the types of nests of the hooded crow on poplar described above, the most consistent with the nesting stereotype is the normal location (type 1). This arrangement of nests is typical not only for poplars, but also for many other trees with similar crown architectonics. The presence of a certain stereotype in the location of nests in the crowns of trees (about 80% of the height of the tree under the nest) is also confirmed by the location of nests of the gray crow on trees. maximum dimensions. Usually the part of the tree trunk under the nest located in the giant tree is smaller than normal, but the nest location is similar to typical. Probably, the location of nests of the gray crow on trees damaged by pruning is associated with the need to populate their nesting area.
Among the coniferous trees used for nesting by the gray crow in the city of Ivanovo, Siberian larch is of the greatest interest, which is absent in the natural landscapes of the Eastern Upper Volga region. Larch is characterized by a whorled arrangement of branches, both for spruces and young ones, almost in a horizontal plane. Perhaps this form of branching is convenient for placing large nests of corvids. The secondary branching of larch also maintains a horizontal position. Most nests of the gray crow on larch are located near the tree trunk, at the base of the whorl or in the apex of the crown, in the fork of at least three divergent branches. Quite rarely, crow nests are found on side branches at a considerable distance from the trunk. This feature of the location can be explained by the need for sufficient area to support large nests. All the nests of the gray crow in the residential areas of Ivanovo were located in the upper part of the tree crowns. Under the nest was from 80 to 90% of the larch height. This position of the nest on the tree probably depends on the features of the architectonics of the larch crown, as well as on the rather large size of the nests and the birds themselves. So, with the usual location of the nest of the gray crow near the trunk, at the base of the whorl, at 80-90% of the height of the tree, the distance to the edge of the side branches is about 1 m, which allows adult birds to easily reach the nest.
When studying the features of the placement of nests of the gray crow in the crowns of deciduous and coniferous trees, several of the most common options were identified:
a) near-stem placement of the nest;
b) placement of the nest in the fork of the crown;
c) interbranch placement of the nest in the fork of the crown (hanging nest);
d) placement of the nest on the side branch.
There were also isolated cases of placement of nests by the hooded crow on the top of the crown and on the cut (break) of the tree trunk. The selected variants of nest placement of the hooded crow in the crown of a tree generally correspond to those previously identified (Konstantinov, 1971; Korbut, 1986, 1990). Share ratio different options placement of nests of the gray crow in the surveyed urban settlements fundamentally has not changed.
The most common location for crow nests in the residential areas of Ivanovo is near the trunk. From 44 to 63% of the common crows from all detected cases of nesting on birch, linden, poplar, elm, etc. build their nests in this way. When nesting on larch, nests near the trunk occur in 75-95% of cases in different residential areas of the city. On an apple, plum, and cherry tree, the near-trunk placement of nests of the gray crow is rare - 5-15%. Placement of the nest in the fork of the main branches of the crown is most common when birds nest on poplar, linden, maple, ash, apple, plum, less often when nesting on larch, birch, brittle willow. Interbranch placement of the nest, the so-called "hanging nest" was noted when nesting birds on birch - 2-7%, on linden - 12-17%, larch - 6-10%, elm - 9%, poplar - 4%, ash and maple up to 13-14%. The placement of nests on the lateral branch is more typical for nesting birds on poplar - 12-20%, brittle willow - 17%, maple - 20% in different types residential development of the city.
The frequency of occurrence of options for placing nests of gray crows on deciduous and coniferous trees differs significantly, which is determined by differences in the architectonics of the crowns of these trees. The presence of thick, strong, horizontally directed branches, in particular in poplar, allows the hooded crow to place nests on these side branches in greater numbers, compared to nesting on birch or linden. Coniferous trees have strong forks directly at the trunk, which provide strong support for large nests of the gray crow. For spruces and young pines, as well as for larch, a whorled arrangement of lateral branches is characteristic.
An analysis of the collected materials allows us to speak about a certain strategy of the gray crow in choosing suitable places for nests in the crowns of trees. With the wide use of different types of trees and shrubs for nesting, it is possible to identify the main, most characteristic, ways of nest placement. Thus, with a wide variety of species of trees and shrubs used by the gray crow for nesting, the choice of options for nest placement in tree crowns is relatively small. But the existence of several options for nest placement in the crown of a tree practically does not limit the possibility of building a nest on any type of tree planting in the city, including introduced and exotic species of trees and shrubs. As is known, in the absence or shortage of natural substrates, the gray crow uses human structures for nesting.
Thus, hooded crows choose optimal places for nesting in tree crowns, which make it easy to reach the nest, and the upper part of the crown serves as shelter and protection from feathered predators. The height of the tree trunk below the nest is usually sufficient to ensure that the nest is inaccessible to enemies from below. As a rule, when building nests in urban habitats, hooded crows retain a certain nesting stereotype that had developed even before the synanthropization of the species - they prefer to build nests on a whorl of branches near a tree trunk or in the forks of the main branches. The ratio between the height of the trees on which the nests are located and the distance from the ground to the nest varies within certain limits from general pattern for different trees.
Features of the nesting of the gray crow ( Corvus cornix) in Ivanovo
Written by: Ryabov Alexey Valentinovich, Ponomarev Vsevolod Alekseevich
The Gray Crow (Corvus cornix) is one of the most recognizable birds of the Moscow region. This is a very smart bird that becomes attached to the person who raised her.
Description
Hoodie(Crow family) - a fairly large bird with a length of 44 to 51 cm, weighing up to 700 g. The wingspan is about one meter. The plumage of the gray crow is gray or dark gray (except for the black crown of the head, shirt-front, tail and wings). The black beak is slightly hooked and has a slightly convex mandible. The legs of the gray crow are black. It is the presence of gray color in the plumage that is one of the important hallmarks gray crows. Young birds are slightly darker than adults. The voice of the gray crow is a hoarse "karr-karrr". Many ornithologists consider this bird a subspecies of the black crow and admit the possibility of crossing between the black and gray crows. “In their way of life, gray and black crows almost do not differ from each other. Both represent sedentary, less often nomadic birds living in pairs or united in a large society. (A.E. Brem “The Life of Animals, Volume II, “Birds”).
Food
Gray crows are omnivores. “What they don’t eat is they clean the railroad tracks from what falls from the garbage cans and car toilets, they swallow mice, lizards and frogs, the seeds of spruce and field bindweed…”. (S. F. Starikovich "The menagerie at the porch"). The menu is replenished with various small rodents, birds, beetles, worms, eggs of other birds, food waste, carrion, fruits and grains. Crows have learned to get their own food different ways. “For a month, the birds, not sparing their belly, saved the lands of the Barguzinsky Reserve from pests. They did not dig the ground at random, but stuck their beak exactly where, at a depth of 5-10 centimeters, the larvae of the cockchafer tormented the roots of plants. (S. F. Starikovich "The menagerie at the porch").
The omnivorous nature of the gray crow leads to the fact that it often feeds on landfills, dumpsters and other similar places. It is not uncommon to see crows making a mess near garbage cans. They take away with them crusts of bread and bones with the remains of meat in order to get enough in more convenient location. For example, on rooftops.
The crow is classified as a bird of prey, as it preys on smaller birds (especially chicks), rodents and other animals. In some parks, squirrels suffer from gray crows. “Sometimes there are raids on hares that for some reason found themselves in the clearing during the day. A flock of crows skillfully blocks the oblique path to retreat. Sometimes the crows take on the vile manner of the skua - they terrorize the small gulls that have grabbed the fish until they spit out the silvery body. (S. F. Starikovich "The menagerie at the porch").
Habitat
In our country, the gray crow is common in the European part and in Siberia. In the east (up to the Yenisei), the color of the plumage of the crow is more gray. This bird is found in forests, wastelands, landfills, in small towns and cities. The bird is not afraid of the abundance of people. The gray crow manages to build nests not only on trees, but also on buildings. For the night, crows gather in huge clusters. They often spend the night in parks or cemeteries. Often they are joined by rooks and jackdaws. One part of the Moscow and Moscow region gray crows remains for the winter in their former places, the other part migrates to other regions and even to European countries. Total birds is not decreasing, as crows fly to us from the North.
Breeding chicks
With the advent of spring, the mating season begins. At this time, it is interesting to watch the males making incredibly complex turns, takeoffs and other figures in the air. aerobatics. The Gray Crow nests in pairs. Sometimes nests are located nearby. Crows are very sensitive birds. They are well versed in environmental issues. In polluted areas, the gray crow rarely builds a nest. She only flies there in search of food, and builds a nest in a cleaner place so that the offspring are healthy.
In March - April, the construction of a nest on a tree or on a building begins. Construction material- everything that crows can find and bring. These are branches, hay, rags, various pieces of iron and pieces of wire. The clutch consists of 2-6 bluish-green eggs with dark brown spots and strokes. The eggs laid first are more intensely colored than the last eggs. At the very end, the female lays pale blue eggs with almost imperceptible speckles. Family responsibilities are distributed as follows: the female incubates the eggs, and the male supplies her with food. “Through binoculars it is clearly visible that there is a noticeable movement in the nest. The bird rises a little and for a few moments, as it were, half-standing, quickly moving its legs, which makes the wings and the whole body tremble. These strange, at first glance, actions of the bird contribute to the ventilation of the nesting tray. It lasts from a few seconds to half a minute and is repeated so often that the bird, in fact, never sits quietly on the eggs. (S.F. Starikovich "The menagerie at the porch").
Chicks appear in about three weeks. It is noted that the crow-"boy" hatches first. As soon as the chicks are born, the female gray crow is connected to the search for food. Birds guard the nest with chicks in turn. Growing chicks need food that is easy to digest and high in calories. The best food is the eggs of other birds. Ravens ruthlessly plunder other people's nests to feed their chicks. They also hunt for chicks of smaller birds. “Sitting on a stick (and who just invented it?) Or on the overhanging roof of a birdhouse, the crow waits for the chick to look out the window. Grasping him by the beak, she drags away the fools one by one. But this is not the pinnacle of robbery: some crows uncork birdhouses like a bottle of beer. At the Zvenigorod biological station of Moscow State University, a burglar, acting like a lever with her beak, dropped the covers from eight birdhouses in one morning. Putting her beak between the lid and the side wall, she widened the gap until the lid gave way.
The habits of the gray crow
Ravens are surprisingly mobile, although they walk slowly due to their close toes. This bird loves to have fun. For example, it plans with pleasure, gaining a height of several tens of meters. Boldly sways on the wires. At our dacha, crows noisily roll down metal roof, having previously folded the wings. Smart birds are incredibly smart. “If it is not possible to gouge a strong shell with their beak, they soar into the sky and throw the shell on stones or on the highway. Once, crows used the Tashkent airfield as nutcrackers. In the mornings, when the airport was relatively calm, a flock of crows bombed the concrete strip walnuts tied up in neighboring gardens! (S. F. Starikovich "The menagerie at the porch"). There are many facts confirming the ability of crows. “They famously count to five in their minds. The crows were rounded up ... If five people entered the shelter, the flock did not return until all the hunters lost patience and went home. If, say, nine people climbed into the shelter, and six or seven came out of it, the observer crows lost count and, deciding that everything was in order, gave signals to return. (S. F. Starikovich "The menagerie at the porch").
The crow has worst enemy- owl. He kills birds at night when they sleep. Crows are vindictive. They remember and can attack the dog that chased them a year ago. Occasionally, birds mistake the fur hats of people for old offenders and peck them furiously.
Gray crow daily routine
The famous Alfred Edmund Brehm described the typical daily routine of crows in this way. " Everyday life Raven is like this. They begin to fly before dawn, and often gather on a certain building or large tree before scattering across the fields. Until noon, they are actively busy looking for food: they walk through the fields and meadows, guard mouse holes, look out for bird nests, rummage through the gardens. ... By noon, crows flock to a dense tree to sleep in its foliage after dinner, and then go for feeding again. Before settling down for the night, they gather in large numbers, apparently with the aim of mutually exchanging impressions of the day. (A.E. Brem “The Life of Animals, Volume II, “Birds”).
hand crow
A crow living in captivity quickly gets used to a person. Especially if you got into the house as a chick. Everyone notes that this is a very smart bird. True, thieving. “Here, for example, how the zoologist Yu. Romov complained about his tame bird. His pupil, who lived in freedom, stole everything she could carry. At the table, she behaved in the highest degree indecently - she emptied the spoon of the host and guest before she had time to bring it to her mouth. It was worth a little gape, as the spoon itself disappeared. Neither swearing nor cuffs helped. (S. F. Starikovich "The menagerie at the porch").
“Both species of crows can be kept in captivity for a long time without much trouble; they are tamed and learn to speak, if only the teacher has the patience. But still, they are not suitable for the room because of their untidyness and the smell they spread ... ". (A.E. Brem “The Life of Animals, Volume II, “Birds”). A tame crow has been living near a person for years. She gets so used to the house and all family members that she can lead a free lifestyle, but eat and spend the night with people.
© "Podmoskovye", 2012-2018. Copying texts and photos from the site podmoskоvje.com is prohibited. All rights reserved.This beautiful and proud bird can really become a true friend. Her intelligence exceeds the intelligence of a dog, a cat and is comparable to the abilities of a horse or a dolphin. A raven can, for example, use a stick to get food placed next to the cage. He will overpower and overdried bread, soaking it in water. This bird is able to guess and throw stones into a narrow vase until the water becomes available to it for drinking.
How not to confuse crow chicks and crows?
However, instead of the expected raven, you may have a bird from the same family with a consonant name - a crow. How to distinguish a raven chick from a crow? The raven is larger, it has a wedge-shaped tail (the crow has a flat one). The plumage on the goiter of the raven is disheveled, while that of the crow is smooth. The color of the crow chick is the same as that of an adult bird. The crow “croaks”, articulating correctly, the raven makes a different sound - clicks.
And they also differ from each other purely in character: like a devoted knight and a miserable thief. It is no coincidence that we used the word “knight” in the context of the name of the bird “raven”, because the British have been honoring and keeping six ravens in the service of the sovereign ravens of the Tower Fortress for many centuries, since the time of King Charles II.
How to avoid misunderstanding by unexpectedly growing a crow? The answer is simple: either take a crow chick from a nursery, or buy from a reputable seller.
We are far from thinking that in May you will be able to personally get into the thicket of the forest and pick up a three-week-old chick from a crow's nest at a great height. Moreover, even if you do such a feat, you will inevitably be attacked by his parents. And an adult raven, having accelerated in flight, as you know, with a blow of its beak, it may well kill a fox. It is obvious that it is wiser for the future owner of the chick to avoid such injuries.
Therefore, we focus you on the purchase of a bird on the ad. The market price of a raven fledgling in the markets of Moscow is $100.
At what age is a crow chick taken to be raised?
Raven is immensely devoted to only one person, whom he considers the owner, while he simply resigns himself to other cohabitants. Does not like small children and pets, jealous of the owner.
For taming, it is best to take a two to three week old bird. Females are easier to train and less impulsive. We recommend them for beginners. The specialist distinguishes them at this age solely by external signs. Classes are carried out according to the classical method for birds of prey. If you are buying crow chicks from a breeder, the cut-off age for purchase is 2-3 months old.
Six months later, the chick is identical in size to an adult bird. At this age, he is already difficult to train. And an adult raven, starting from the age of one, is no longer suitable for living at home. By the way, the bird is considered to be finally formed only at the age of three.
A crow chick (you can see a photo of a three-week-old fledgling in the illustration) becomes a domestic bird through persistent taming and training. Unfortunately, most people who decide to raise this bird act recklessly, believing that a stylized likeness of a parrot will turn out from a proud bird chick.
What should the owner of a crow chick be prepared for?
A raven is two in one: a predator and a talking, intelligent bird that loves its owner. Yes, but only if you want to become its owner, it is not enough for a raven chick to formally settle in your home. The owner should love him actively, mess with him (i.e. train, train, communicate) daily for two to three hours a day.
Raven is a friend. If you manage to train him, he will give you a lot of positive, but also ask a lot of you. You, as the owner, will have to sacrifice for this friendship... at least one room in the apartment. Be sure that for a year of keeping a crow in it, it will be prepared by a bird for repairs.
A raven and a cage are incompatible things: an impulsive bird breaks feathers in it. If it is not possible to allocate a "private room" to the bird, you can equip an aviary (at least 2 x 2 m). It should provide a container for bathing birds and toys.
When is it undesirable to start a crow?
It is contraindicated to start this bird in families with small children! It is undesirable to have other animals (dogs, cats) in the house. An adult raven is a bird with character. He will be jealous of their owner and even attack "competitors".
It is not enough for the owner of the bird to proceed solely from mercy, thinking about how to get out the chick of a raven. It is equally important to ask yourself the second question: “Will I be able to raise a noble tame raven?”
It is not recommended to keep a bird at home without taking the time to train it. In this case, the raven does not feel the owner and begins to compete with domestic ones in its own way, turning into a real punishment, practicing in all sorts of dirty tricks:
- he will consider not only his room, but the whole apartment as his territory (torn documents, pecked wallpaper, cornices, plinths, household utensils, furniture);
- he will not be trained to relieve himself locally;
- he will attack your guests.
To release a bird that has not been trained by adult ravens is a sure way to kill it. A domestic raven dies in the wild.
If, after reading our warning, you remained at your will and continue to solve the puzzle "How to find a crow chick?", Then the following information is for you.
Foundlings
However, the cases are different. Sometimes yellow-mouthed crow chicks are found in April-May that have fallen out of the nest. Despite the height of the fall, some of them remain unmutilated.
The crow chick is born in April. Being a week old, he even bears little resemblance to a bird: his eyes are not open, a naked body, only down on his neck and head. Only in the second week do tiny rods of future flight feathers appear and the eyes open.
He is weak, his body is not covered with feathers. He is unable to maintain the balance of his body heat. The period of nutrition for him during the first week is about an hour and a half during daylight hours. Defenseless and completely dependent on care, the crow chick (the photo at the beginning of the article caught this moment) periodically squeaks - this is how it extorts food.
However, the bird will begin to see only after three weeks.
Temperature regime of the first week
If such a bird fell out of the nest, and after weighing all the pros and cons, you made a desperate decision to raise it, then for this you will need to take a month's vacation. In the first week, you will have to equip an impromptu home incubator. A crow chick is placed in a shoe box that is lined with soft cloth below, and on top is covered with a thin cloth. An incandescent lamp is turned on above the canvas. For optimal heating, you need to monitor:
- increase it if the bird is trembling;
- ventilate the box if it gasps for air.
Temperature regulation in the second week
After the appearance of feathers (in the second week) temperature regime is simplified. Just make sure during the day that the temperature in the room where the crow chick is located is maintained at about 20 degrees Celsius. At night, the home incubator should still be heated.
As the fluff covers the entire body of the bird, it will be possible to remove the top sheet. Next, we will briefly consider the organization of the nutrition of a crow chick, noting the importance of the presence of clean, non-chlorinated water in the aviary and the addition of calcium (ground shell) to its food for the formation of a full-fledged plumage.
Feeding a chick
The question of what to feed a crow chick at home has two different answers: for the yellowmouth and the fledgling.
Yellowmouth is fed with tweezers. Food is served from top to bottom. In this case, a reflex is triggered in him: he lifts his head and opens his beak. The food itself is a mess. If we are talking about nursing a sick chick, then it is fed from a syringe, on which a rubber nozzle is put on.
- meat offal (or pate, or minced meat) - 40%;
- steamed finely cut flakes (crushed - wheat, barley, millet, oatmeal, corn, rye) - 30%;
- fat-free cottage cheese - 10%;
- sprouted grain in finely chopped form - 10%;
- grated apple, beets, carrots - 10%.
Feeding the fledgling
Imagine one of the recipes showing how to feed a raven chick that has become a fledgling. This is also a mash, only of a slightly different consistency, also suitable for adult birds:
- cereal flakes, boiled buckwheat or boiled brown rice - 30%;
- meat by-products finely chopped - 30%;
- fat-free cottage cheese - 20%;
- grated squeezed apple, carrot, beetroot - 10%;
- sprouted grain finely chopped - 10%.
Flying
Let's shed some light on this complex issue.
- Raven chicks are taught to fly according to the classics of training birds of prey in compliance with the necessary details (additive, glove, etc.). This technique is fully capable in our case.
- During the training of a raven to fly, the probability of non-return should be minimized. Therefore, it is better to choose suburban fields as an area for the realization of the bird's natural needs. In a city with its traffic and noise, it is highly likely that an inexperienced raven will get lost.
Teaching a raven chick to speak
If the parrot perceives the female timbre of the voice better, then the raven practically does not react to it. But hoarse, creaky male overtones are his element. He repeats not only the creak, barking of a dog, hoarse male laughter, but also shows good ability to speech. Similar abilities of another raven bird - a rook - were described by Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin in the story of the same name.
Where to begin? Firstly, we recommend calling the raven so, he could easily call himself, for example, Karl. Secondly, when entering and leaving, say the standard phrases ("Hello", "Bye"). Start by teaching the raven to say these words, then you can move on to phrases.
He remembers whole sentences no worse than a parrot, but pronounces them (this is confirmed by experts) more consciously. To do this, the owner should talk to him.
Instead of a conclusion
Agree, there is something special, noble in the crow - one of the most difficult birds to keep at home.
A crow chick is not a spineless toy, it is a friend for an adult, making adjustments to the rhythm of his life. But if you really manage to grow a friend out of him, he will adequately answer you with love and devotion for many years.
A well-known bird with a gray plumage of the body and black head, wings and tail. There are no similar species of gray crows. It is difficult to distinguish a male gray crow from a female externally, but males are on average slightly larger.
Young gray crows look like adults after leaving the nest, but grey colour they are darker (especially on the neck) and with a brown tint, and black - without shine. There are age differences that can be seen when the bird is in the hands: young people have gray eyes, oral cavity white, in the second year of life the eyes are brown, the mouth is white or spotted; in adult gray crows, the eyes are dark brown or almost black, the mouth cavity is gray or (in older ones) black. Ravens weight 430–740 g, length 44–51, wing 29.2–35.5, wingspan 87–102 cm.
Lifestyle of gray crows
The nesting habitats of gray crows are extremely diverse, avoiding only areas completely devoid of woody vegetation, dense forests and mountains. Crows are happy to live next to a person, including in big cities, on the busiest streets.
Territorial, the male protects the territory from the pre-breeding time and regularly “sings”. The usual location of a crow's nest is in the crown of a tree, including on individual trees in a field, steppe, and swamp.
Nest building begins in mid-latitudes in mid-March - early April. They are built by both members of the pair from branches, they drag the earth into the tray, then line them with grass, wool, roots, moss, as well as rags, paper, etc. In cities and along roads, gray crows often use wire instead of branches. New nests are built every year, often using material from old nests.
In clutch 1-7, more often - 3-5 eggs of pale green, green, bluish-green color, with large spots irregular shape, brown or olive color. Incubation begins with the 1st–3rd egg, less often after the laying is completed, and lasts 18–21 days. The female incubates, the male brings her food to the nest and sometimes replaces her. When people appear at the nest, the crows raise a cry and fly around.
Crow chicks have gray down, the oral cavity is light pink, with pinkish-white marginal ridges. They leave the nest already knowing how to fly, at the age of 4-5 weeks. In the middle lane, this is approximately the end of May - the beginning of June. Broods of gray crows remain in the nest area for about 2 weeks, then most of them move to other places.
Crow food
Ravens are omnivorous, but prefer animal food. In nature, they eat carrion, catch all kinds of invertebrates and small vertebrates, destroy nests ( feature in the “handwriting” of the gray crow is that, destroying the nest, they usually pull out the litter from it), dig up holes of rodents, muskrat huts, i.e. behave like small predators, and are very smart and inventive in hunting methods. Next to humans, crows feed mainly on garbage.
crow breeding
Crows begin to breed at the end of the 2-3rd, and even the 5th year of life. Pair formation occurs in winter, with air games, chases, tumbling in the air. Adult crows apparently live as a permanent pair all their lives and nest annually in the same area. However, not all birds are equally attached to the place and their pair. Young ravens that do not nest spend the summer wandering, flying outside the nesting range. The longest known lifespan for a gray crow is 19 years.