Corvids are one of the most common and most “intelligent” birds, with very high intelligence. They live next to us, but many people, unfortunately, treat them with prejudice, although they know little about them. Even adults often think that a raven and a crow are “husband and wife”; in fact, the black raven and the hooded crow are different types of birds.

The appearance of corvids is quite characteristic and recognizable; the “raven” appearance is inherent in all representatives of the family.

The corvids include a large number of genera and species; they are distributed everywhere except the south of South America and Antarctica. Next to us live the common raven, the hooded crow, the common jackdaw, the common magpie, the rook, and the common jay.

Raven is one of the largest representatives of corvids. The body length is 60 centimeters, the wingspan is more than a meter. The plumage is black, with a bluish or greenish tint. The beak is sharp and strong, black in color. The flight of a raven is more similar to the flight of a bird of prey than to the flight of other corvids. We see the raven less often than other members of the family, since the raven is a very cautious bird and does not come close to human habitation. It nests on tall trees, power transmission poles, and church bell towers. A family of ravens (they form a pair for life!) takes the same nest for many years, just renovating it. The bird is omnivorous, prefers rodents, small birds, insects, and does not disdain carrion. Crows are elegant, smart, and able to imitate, including human speech. Crows are often kept at home; from childhood they are easily tamed and become attached to their owner. But the passion of these birds for destruction is great. Left unattended, they will quickly restore “their order” in the owner’s house.

In the cultures of different nations, the raven is often associated with dark forces, misfortune and even death. An example would be the supreme god of German-Scandinavian mythology, Odin, who is constantly accompanied by ravens. And one of the most popular Russian folk songs is called “Black Raven”. In this song, the black raven is also a symbol of impending misfortune. In chronicles, myths and fairy tales of different peoples, ravens were always present in the descriptions of battles. Large flocks of birds always circled in the sky above the field where foot and horse warriors gathered for battle. The crows seemed to have foreseen that no matter the outcome of the battle, there would be many dead. Looking at the black bird waiting for its prey, the warrior considered it a harbinger of his death. But in Russian fairy tales, the raven is often a symbol of wisdom and longevity. In ancient Greek mythology, the raven was the companion of Apollo, and in the Old Testament you can find positive reviews about this bird. In heraldry, the raven is a symbol of foresight and longevity. Many aristocrats considered it an honor to have the image of this beautiful bird on their family coat of arms.

Hooded crow - the head, wings and tail of the hooded crow are black, the body is gray. The bird is about half a meter long. The crow is absolutely omnivorous. She has adapted perfectly to life next to a person; Thanks to her intelligence and ingenuity, she mastered the city quite deftly. Crows have practically no enemies, there are plenty of places for nesting and overnight shelter, and there is plenty of food all year round. When gathering in flocks, as well as during the period of hatching chicks, these birds can be quite aggressive and attack animals and people.

Many people associate the crow with untidiness and uncleanliness, which is not far from the truth. In fairy tales and legends, crows accompany evil spirits; it is believed that their croaking foretells trouble.

The jackdaw is smaller than the hooded crow. The neck and top of the head are gray, the sides of the bird are dark gray, the rest of the plumage is black with a metallic sheen. Jackdaws nest in large colonies in niches of old buildings, ventilation pipes, and attics. They are unpretentious in food, like the rest of the family. More and more often we see jackdaws in Moscow next to crows and rooks - mainly on the outskirts of the city, markets, train stations, landfills and wastelands, where you can find food for yourself. They spend the night (like crows and rooks) in parks and squares.

The magpie is a black and white bird. The head, neck, chest and back of the bird are black with a purple or green metallic tint, the belly and shoulders are white; long tail and black wings. Magpies are sedentary birds; they live in small forests, parks, often not far from human habitation. During hatching, the chicks are careful and quiet, and by autumn they become sociable and are rarely seen alone. Usually small flocks are observed that fly from tree to tree with loud chirping. Magpies often make noise when they notice the slightest danger; often follow an object they do not understand. The magpie's nest is spherical in shape, built from dry twigs and twigs. Magpies are omnivores, prefer to catch insects and small mammals, and destroy the nests of other birds. This bird is extremely curious, loves everything bright and shiny. In the nests of magpies you can always find a lot of interesting things - glasses frames, Christmas tree tinsel, all sorts of shiny things, sometimes even decorations!

The rook resembles a crow in size and appearance, although it is confused not only with a crow, but also with a raven. But the rook has a clear distinguishing feature - a ring of unfeathered bare skin around its beak. It is unlikely that you can see a flock of ravens at once, but the rook stays in a flock and nests in colonies, like the jackdaw. The color of the rook is black with a metallic sheen. The rook has long been considered the first “harbinger of spring.” But recently, many rooks do not fly away anywhere and remain to winter in large cities, because there is the opportunity to feed all year round. Rooks make nests in trees and power line supports. Rooks use nests for many years, renewing them every spring. Thus, old nests look like a multi-tiered building.

Jay. This word is a diminutive form of the Old Russian name for this bird - soy. It is assumed that the name comes from the verb “to shine”. Looking at the jay, you will immediately understand why it is compared to the radiance. The bird has a very beautiful, bright color. The wings, tail and “whiskers” are black, the back and spot on the wing are white, on the shoulders there is a blue spot with narrow black stripes, the rest of the plumage is reddish-gray. When a jay gets excited, a funny crest appears on its head. Beautiful bird! The same cannot be said about her voice - the sharp and loud “zhe-zhee” is even less pleasant than the chatter of a forty! Jays are good at imitating the voices of other birds, human speech, and even the sound of an axe. This is a rather cautious bird; it does not fly close to human habitation. Although in the Moscow region, in summer cottages, jays often raid crops (for example, berries). And when the owner drives them away from the harvest, the jays fly away with obvious displeasure, screaming loudly. The jay is also interesting because it makes “storehouses” for the winter in order to feed on stored acorns, nuts and cereal grains. She will not miss the opportunity to destroy the squirrel's pantry.

A huge number of birds live in our city. We are often surprised why they live next to us in a noisy metropolis, where people often feel uncomfortable... A person greatly changes the space around him, and birds, which are sure to be in any community, are constantly adapting to new conditions. Crows, rooks and jackdaws are especially successful in this. Thanks to their mental qualities, they perfectly adapted to life in a large metropolis and became a permanent part of it.

It seems that crows have always lived in the city. But in fact, they became city dwellers not so long ago - in the middle of the 20th century. Before this, crows in cities only fed, but did not nest. Quite quickly they mastered the urban environment and became city birds. They are attracted to cities by a large amount of food, since people actively litter around themselves, creating landfills and garbage dumps. In the nineties of the 20th century, when there was a large shortage of food in the country, the number of corvids in Moscow decreased sharply. The successful conquest of the city is also facilitated by the outstanding mental abilities of the gray crow and other corvids. For example, they began to build nests not only in trees, but also on buildings, using wire, glass wool and other non-natural materials to build their home.

There is a legend that Patriarch Tikhon was so tired of the croaking of crows, which disrupted the solemnity of church processions held in the Kremlin, that he cursed them. After this, the malicious bird disappeared from the center of Moscow. The ravens returned after the revolution, when Patriarch Tikhon died, and the curse once placed on the ravens lost its power.

In the spring, when birds raise their babies, there are more and more news reports about crow attacks on people. At this time, they react aggressively to any moving object, as they protect their children, and sometimes they simply guard their food. Moreover, the crow understands very well who is dangerous to it and who is not. For example, they attack dogs and cats, children, old people and women, but they are afraid of men; crows are able to distinguish a person with a gun from a person simply with a stick.

The great danger lies in the fact that concentrations of birds, and corvids too, provide an opportunity for bacteria, viruses, and various parasites that are dangerous to humans to multiply. Bird flu and psittacosis are the most famous diseases transmitted to us from birds.

Bird droppings spoil the appearance of buildings and cultural monuments, destroy metal, and various diseases are transmitted through it. Under trees, in places where crows and rooks spend the night, grass stops growing for this reason. A service has been operating on the territory of the Kremlin for several decades that helps scare away the crows that love to live in the very heart of our capital. As soon as a flock of crows flies up to the Kremlin, an alarming cawing recorded on film, which birds emit at a moment of danger, is heard from the speakers, and the flock, in fear, moves away from the dangerous place. But! The crow is a smart bird, after a couple of weeks this ceases to work and you have to release specially trained predators - falcons or scare the flock with a shot from a gun. Now there is a more modern way - a laser rifle. The laser beam blinds the birds and the entire flock scatters in horror.

The same methods are used at Moscow airports. Bird collisions with airliners happen all the time. In addition to falcons, goshawks are also in service here. To feel good, they simply need to hunt for real every day. Beware, crows and jackdaws, your natural enemy is not asleep!

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