[42.6] BIRDS OF OREGON 



habit of pecking the sores on cattle and horses that have been caused by 

 branding or accident, sometimes almost literally eating the victims alive; 

 sheepmen accuse them of pecking out the eyes of new-born lambs; and 

 sportsmen persecute them unmercifully because of their belief that quail, 

 grouse, China pheasants, and other game birds have disappeared from 

 their favorite coverts because of the nest-destroying ability of the mag- 

 pies. There is a measure of truth in all of these accusations, though one 

 may seriously question the sportsman's belief that the magpies are solely 

 responsible for the decreasing supply of game birds. It seems reasonable 

 that too much shooting, destruction of food supplies and shelters by 

 agricultural development, climatic conditions, and perhaps many other 

 factors have a greater influence on the supply of game than the nest 

 destruction practiced by the magpies a few weeks in the year. There are 

 local areas where a concentration of magpies is undoubtedly an important 

 factor in the decrease of game birds, but we are not optimistic enough to 

 believe that removal of this or any other predatory species will solve 

 even a few of the many problems involved in the proper management of 

 the game-bird population. 



American Raven: 



Corvus corax sinuatus Wagler 



DESCRIPTION. "Black, entire plumage glossed with lustrous purplish, tinged with 

 dull greenish on belly; feathers of throat lanceolate, distinct from one another; 

 feathers of neck dull gray at base; nasal tufts covering more than basal half of upper 

 mandible. Length: ii.5o-x6.oo, wing 15.10-18.00, tail 9-11, exposed culmen 2.. 40- 

 3.05." (Bailey) Nest: On cliffs, buildings, in trees, or in old windmill towers, 

 built of sticks and lined with shredded bark, moss, hair, or wool. Eggs: 5 to 7, 

 green, olive, or drab, spotted and blotched with brown and lavender. 

 DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from Oregon, southeastern British Columbia, Mon- 

 tana, and North Dakota south to Nicaragua. In Oregon: Permanent resident through- 

 out State. Most abundant in eastern Oregon, but still quite common on coast. 

 Rare in area between Cascades and Coast Ranges, though seen occasionally. 



To SEE the American Raven at its best one must go to the great lava rims 

 of eastern Oregon. There its black coat and harsh croak, as it sails over 

 the gray landscape, seem to harmonize with the surroundings. From the 

 vantage point of those rims, which furnish an abundance of suitable 

 nesting sites, it can see everything that occurs in its chosen hunting 

 ground and can instantly take advantage of the death of a rabbit, killed 

 by a speeding car, or spy the carcasses of dead livestock. Along the 

 coast it is not nearly as abundant as in the interior. Old records indicate 

 that it was formerly more abundant in the Willamette and other western 

 Oregon valleys. Now, an occasional glimpse of one sailing high over- 

 head or the sound of its guttural voice is all that can be expected there. 

 Some of the coastal birds, particularly in winter, may closely approach 



