The Western Crow 



No. 2 



Western Crow 



A. O. U. No. 488b. Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis Ridgway. 



Synonyms. — California Crow. Common Crow. American Crow. 



Description. — Entire plumage glossy black, for the most part with greenish 

 blue, steel-blue, and violaceous reflections; feathers of the neck normal, rounded. Bill 

 and feet black, iris brown. Length 406.4-508 (16.00-20.00); wing 302 (12.00); tail 

 170 (6.70); bill 46.5 (1.83); depth at nostril 16.5 (.65). Female averages smaller than 

 male. 



Recognition Marks. — "Crow-size" — much smaller than Raven; tail shorter, 

 and only slightly rounded. 



Nesting. — Nest: a neat hemisphere of sticks and twigs, carefully lined with 

 soft bark strips, or, rarely, roots and grasses; placed at any height in trees, often well 

 concealed. Eggs, 4 or 5, rarely 6; ovate or elongate ovate; pale bluish green (lichen 

 green, glaucous green, or even dark greenish glaucous), spotted and marked with olive 

 and related shades, sometimes so heavily as to appear almost uniform olive. Av. 

 size (without distinction from typicus) 41.4 x 29.1 (1.63 x 1. 15); index 70.5. Season: 

 April 20-May 20; one brood. 



Range of Corvus brachyrhynchos. — Temperate North America. 



Range of C. b. hesperis. — Chiefly western United States from Rocky Mountains 

 to Pacific Coast, save shores of northwestern Washington; north into the interior of 

 British Columbia, south to southern California, Arizona, and western Texas. 



Range in California. — Resident; of very local distribution at the lower levels 

 nearly throughout the State. Not found in the deserts nor in the higher ranges; of 

 rare occurrence east of the Sierran divide (Davis Creek, Modoc Co., June 10, 1912; 

 Eagleville, June 30, 1912; Mono Lake, June 3, 1919). Favors riparian association, 

 cultivated valleys, and the live oak association of the coastal districts. 



Authorities. — Gambel (Corvus ossifragus and C. americanus), Journ. Acad. 

 Nat. Sci. Phila., ser. 2, vol. i., 1847, p. 47; Henshaw, Rept. Orn. Wheeler Surv., 1876, 

 p. 251; 1879, pp. 302-306 (crit. ; habits); Ridgway, Manual N. Amer. Birds, 1887, p. 362 

 (description of hesperis); Kalmback, Bull. U. S. Dept. Agric, no. 621, 1918, 92 pp., 

 3 pis. (life history and food). 



SINCE coming to California I cannot rid myself of the impression 

 that there is something childish about the Crow — scarcely ' 'child-like 

 and bland" either, for he is astute enough, and wary to a degree. It 

 cannot be merely because he is noisy, or that he loves crowds, that he 

 gives the impression of frivolity, or irresponsibility. Doubtless it is 

 rather because of constant comparison with his somber kinsman, the 

 Raven, self-contained black angel and villain of nature's plot. We have 

 oftener heard in our wanderings the doomful croak of the larger Corvus, 

 so when we come plump upon a roistering company of Crows, the lighter 

 quality of their voices strikes us oddly, and we imagine ourselves with a 

 company of school-children at recess time. 



16 



