Chihuahuan Ravens
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The Chihuahuan Raven (Corvus cryptoleucus), formerly known as the American White-necked Raven, has the proportions of a Common Raven with a heavy bill, but is about the same size as a Carrion Crow, or slightly larger (44-51 cm in length) than the American Crow. The plumage is all-black with a rich purple-blue gloss in good light. The nasal bristles extend farther down the top of the bill than in any other Corvus species to about two-thirds the length. The base of the neck feathers are white (seen only when ruffled in strong wind). The bill, legs and feet are black.
Distribution and habitat
It occurs in the southwestern United States and Mexico including southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, northeastern Colorado, central and southern Nebraska and, in Mexico, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas in semi-arid plains and foothills.
Diet
It feeds on cultivated cereal grains, insects and many other invertebrates, small reptiles, carrion and scraps of human food, cactus fruits, eggs and nestlings.
Nesting
The nest is built in either trees, large shrubs or sometimes even in old buildings. Nests are large, bulky, stick cups plastered with mud or dung. They are lined with bark strips, fine plant matter, wool, or hair. Trees, shrubs, rock ledges, and abandoned buildings are typical nest sites (Leahy, 1982). The female lays a clutch of 3-8 eggs that are pale to moderately dark green or blue. These eggs are sparsely to very densely speckled and splotched with olive to dark brown (Leahy, 1982).
Voice
The voice is similar to the Common Raven with "pruk-pruk" sounds and other croaks but is not as deep in tone or as varied in range.
Taxonomy
A 2005 molecular study reviewed segments of DNA of the Common Raven and found the Chihuahuan Raven is more closley related to the Californian Common Ravens than they themselves are to Common Ravensin the Holarctic.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Relevant Web Resources: USGS ... Corvus Corax - Common Raven (Info on the range, physical characteristics, behavior, sound file, etc.)
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