The Birds of California 



No. 1 



Raven 



A. 0. U. No. 486. Corvus corax sinuatus Wagler. 



Synonyms. — Western Raven. Mexican Raven. American Raven. 



Description. — Color, uniform lustrous black; plumage, especially on breast, 

 scapulars, and back, showing steel-blue and violet, or purplish, iridescence; feathers 

 of the throat long, narrow, pointed, light gray basally; primaries whitening at base. 

 Bill and feet black; iris brown. Length, two feet or over; female a little smaller; 

 wing 406-457 (16.00-18.00); tail 233 (9.17); bill 65-80 (2.56-3.15); depth of bill at nostril 

 25.4 (1. 00); tarsus 68 (2.68). 



Recognition Marks. — Large size, — more than twice the bulk of a Crow; long, 

 rounded tail; harsh croaking notes; uniform black coloration. 



Nesting. — Nest: a mass of sticks deeply hollowed and lined with wool or hair 

 plucked from carcasses; placed in cranny of cliff or ledge, or, rarely, in trees. Eggs: 

 4-7, light bluish green (lichen-green), spotted and marked or blotched (rarely streaked 

 longitudinally) with olive or dark olive (or with deep olive and citrine drab dilutions) 

 and, rarely or sparingly, with vinaceous gray. Specimens vary from those nearly 

 immaculate to those nearly buried under pigment; but they average lighter than 

 Crow r s' in respect to quantity of pigment. Av. of 56 eggs in the collections of the 

 Museum of Comparative Oology, taken in San Luis Obispo County, 47.5 x 32.3 (1.87 x 

 1.27); index 67.9. Range 41.7-55.8 (1.64-2. 18) x 28.5-34.5 (1.12-1.36); indices 59-76. 

 Av. of 42 eggs in M. C. O. colls, taken on Santa Cruz Island, 48.5x32 (1.91 x 1.26); 

 index 66. Range 45.5-56.6 (1.79-2.23) x 29.7-34 ( T - T 7- T -34); indices 57-71. Season: 

 April, one brood. 



Range of Corvus corax. — North America, Europe, northern and central Asia. 



Range of C. c. sinuatus. — The western United States except the Northwest 

 Coast district, south to Central America. 



Range in California. — Resident but wide ranging, hence, of casual occurrence 

 nearly throughout the State; common or abundant locally. The chief centers of 

 distribution are the semi-arid interior coast ranges of south-central California, the 

 larger islands, and the northwestern humid coastal strip. Rare or wanting in the 

 high Sierras and almost disappearing from the more thickly settled regions. 



