Get out the road!

We were driving out of the village and standing in the middle of the road was a big black bird with a beady eye and a challenging air. I wrote a couple of days ago about foxes and badgers, and even cats and dogs who run madly across the road, often with fatal consequences. These animals never seem to learn… unlike corvids, those intelligent birds whose family include jackdaws, ravens, carrion crows and rooks. I can tell a jackdaw with his silver hood, and I can tell a rook with his white beak… but crow or raven?

Ravens are comparatively rare in Britain, although we did see many in Iceland, which was so exciting! I’ve been looking at articles which describe the differences, for example a raven is bigger than a crow – but supposing it’s a small raven and a big crow? A raven has shiny glossy feathers and a little feathery tuft at the top of its beak, their wings and tails are different… but if I see one will I remember what the differences are and which belongs to which bird?

I’m actually sure that the bird who refused to move out of the way of the car until we had come to a stop was just a big crow… but maybe one day I’ll see a raven in our village, I must keep my eye out!

http://www.bto.org/news-events/news/2013-06/crow-rook-or-raven

http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/families/crows.aspx