by Tom and Jo Heindel
Judging by the questions we receive from people interested in birds, possibly no greater confusion exists between other similar appearing species in Inyo County than between the American Crow and the Common Raven. While the experienced birder has few problems distinguishing a crow from a raven, the less experienced find this a difficult identification problem. They are both large, all black birds. There is a difference in size as crows are 17 inches and ravens are 24 inches, but this is difficult to discern, especially when they are at a distance. The raven is obviously larger but not just in length. It has a proportionately larger bill and the tail is larger because of the wedge shape of the tip. A crow is smaller, its bill is smaller not as massive as the raven’s, and the tail is slightly rounded at the tip. The best mark for separating these two birds in flight it the shape of the tail. Once you focus on this mark you will seriously reduce your confusion over the separation. Vocalizations are a big help as well, and these two species are often heard calling, so listen for the higher pitched CAW-CAW of the crow versus the deeper croak of the raven. Ravens also give gurgling notes and clucks which crows do not. Their distribution over the U.S. is different. The Common Raven is found over most of Canada, western U.S. and the Appalachians while the American Crow is found throughout the U.S. (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and summers throughout most of Canada. In Inyo County the raven occupies virtually every habitat and is found from below sea level in Death Valley to above tree line, while the crow is restricted to towns and agricultural areas. Both species are considered resident, that is, found in the county all year. However, the American Crow is also a migrant as populations to the north move south through Inyo in fall and back north again in spring. This undoubtedly explains records of American Crows at isolated areas such as Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley National Park, and also at Deep Springs – well away from their stronghold in the Owens Valley, where each town supports a resident population. The 1891 Death Valley Expedition (a misnomer because it covered the entire county) found no American Crows, but did find the raven over the entire county with the first being recorded at Furnace Creek Ranch, DVNP, during the first week of January 1891. The first crow was found by UC Berkeley’s Joseph Grinnell at Furnace Creek Ranch, DVNP, 6 Apr 1920. The museum at the visitor center contains an albino Common Raven which was first sighted 21 June 1960 and died following an apparent hawk attack on 14 Sep 1961. Our advice is to look and listen to these large, black birds and see if their differences don’t become more apparent with effort and time. Crows and ravens belong to the family Corvidae considered by many to be the smartest family of birds. Maybe their similarities are designed to test just how smart Homo sapiens is!
Tags: crow, hawk, raven