White-necked Raven 293 



White-necked Raven. Corvus cryptoleucus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 487— Colorado Records— Aiken 72, p. 203 ; 

 73, p. 16; Trippe 74, p. 206; Henshaw 75, p. 326; Ridgway 79, 

 p. 230 ; Drew 85, p. 16 ; Dille, 87, p. 99 (C. corax carnivorus) ; Morrison 

 89, p. 147 ; Bendire 92, p. 402 ; Cooke 97, pp. 91, 163, 210 ; 

 Henderson 03, p. 236 ; 09, p. 233. 



Description. — Adult — Resembling C. corax sinuatus, but smaller, 

 and with relatively longer nasal plumes, which extend quite half the 

 length of the bill ; the feathers of the nape, upper-back and breast 

 with concealed white bases ; iris brown, bill and legs black. Length 

 20; wing 14-20 ; tail 8-0 ; culmen 2-20 ; tarsus 2-35. 



The female averages slightly smaller — wing about 13-5. Young 

 birds are less glossy, have no lanceolate feathers on the throat, and 

 the basal half of the mandible light coloured. 



Distribution. — The western plains of the United States, from south- 

 east Wyoming and western Nebraska south to central Mexico, and west- 

 wards through Arizona to southern California. 



In Colorado the White-necked Raven was excessively abimdant 

 along the eastern foothills of the Rockies from Cheyenne to Trinidad, 

 in the early seventies of the last centm-y. Aiken states that in 

 the winter of 1871-2, a flock of over a thousand birds wintered close 

 to Colorado Springs, which was founded in that year. Now they 

 seldom if ever are seen, having been probably driven away by settle- 

 ment. They do not seem to go to any great elevation in the mountains, 

 though observed by Carter at Dillon (about 8,800 feet) in Simimit co., 

 and by W. G. Smith in the foothills near Loveland ; nor are they foimd 

 on the western side of the range, but they do or did extend out over 

 the eastern plains to the Kansas border, and Mr. Ferril has recently 

 informed me that he observed them at Kit Carson in October, 1907, in 

 the extreme west of the State. 



Habits. — The White-necked Raven seems to be a more 

 sociable bird than the Mexican Raven, congregating 

 in large flocks in winter ; it becomes tame when not 

 molested, though naturally suspicious and wary. The 

 note is said to be not so loud or varied as that of the 

 Mexican Raven. Dille (87) found two nests on the plains 

 in Weld co. on May 24th ; they were placed in willow 

 trees, and very neatly constructed and hned with cow's 

 hair ; the eggs, eight in number in each nest, were fresh. 

 Aiken also found the nest of this bird in May, 1878, on 



