A black bird with a black beak. Black bird with large beak

Guess the riddle: what kind of bird is black with a black beak? Some may think that this is rook, but no! It's just his "twin" - a black crow. Indeed, both species of birds are similar to each other, like two drops of water. Nevertheless, their life paths lead in different directions. The black crow is one of the first birds ever to be described by Karl Linnaeus himself. About it and talk.

Appearance

It is a bird of black color with a black beak and the same paws. Nevertheless, it can not be called completely black. If you look closely, you can see that its plumage has a green or violet reflection. Some ornithologists say that the structure of its feathers completely repeats the structure of the rooks' feathers, even the gleam from them becomes the same from time to time. However, these are completely different kinds of birds.

Not to be confused with rooks!

It is worth noting that this bird is entirely different from the ordinary crow and from its closest relatives - gray crows. At the same time, it is so similar to rook that both these species are often confused with each other. Remember, the beak of a black crow is much larger than a rook. Moreover, in adult rooks the nostrils are bare, and in uneven-aged black crows they are covered with setiform feathers.

Rooks from crows are distinguished by a bright violet-blue shine of plumage. Their beaks are not as huge as their black "twins", and near the legs there are so-called "panties" - feathers covering them. However, the most important feature that distinguishes black crows from rooks is the presence of wide and round feathers on the back of the neck.

Rooks usually live in packs, and ravens - in pairs. Often both are fed within the same range. As you know, crows - birds are cunning and insolent. This is what saves them in the winter: they gather in groups of 15-20 individuals, after which they occupy the nests of their "doubles" - rooks. So, the difference between the one and the other we caught, now let's look at the classification of black crows.

Classification

As we said above, a black bird with a large beak is one of the few species of birds, described by the scientist Karl Linney in the first place. It happened in the distant XVIII century. Both gray and black ravens are divided into definite and independent subspecies. Often both birds are considered as subspecies within the same species. In principle, this is not a gross mistake. This is rather a formal inaccuracy.

By the same principle, often the Far Eastern black crow is considered within the same species, which is also not entirely true. To show the difference, we give the correct classification of the superfamily of crows:

• Ordinary gray;
• Eastern gray;
• Ordinary black;
• Eastern black.

In scientific treatises are described cases of a person meeting with crows, who have on their beaks some strange dark spots. Some ornithologists at first even wanted to describe them as a separate species, but after a while it turned out that the black spots on the bird's beak are a sign of some disease, and not a distinctive feature of the new species.

Where do black crows live?

A black crow, or a black bird with a large beak (as it is sometimes called), is widespread in the west of Europe: up to the Elbe, towards Vienna, through the famous Alps to the north of Italy. In the East and in the territory of Eastern Siberia, another species is widespread - the gray crow. She, like her relative, has a black and long beak, but her plumage is not purely black, but dirty gray.

Nesting place

As a place for its nesting, a black bird with a long beak chooses the edges of forest massifs and copses, located among meadows and fields. These birds live in large numbers in the center of large cities. Some residents are afraid of them, relying on some kind of prejudice associated with black crows, witches and mysticism.

These creatures never nest in colonies (as do rooks), but only in separate pairs female male. This period begins with the arrival of the first warm March days. Ornithologists give the birds due, because the couple remain true to each other all their lives. So this bird (black with a black beak and paws) can serve as a symbol of loyalty and love.

They build their nests high above the level of the earth - in thick and intertwined tree crowns. The "foundation" is the broken dry branches, moss and clay. The walls of their nests are black ravens lined with grass and wool. Typically, in one nest appears from 3 to 6 eggs. And here, too, you should make a reservation: the crow's eggs are very much like rook eggs. Only the female incubates them. At this time, the male produces food.

Within 2 weeks, the eggs hatch from the eggs. Some time after their birth, the female still warms the children, after which, together with the male, begins to look for and bring food to them. Such a bird! The black with the black beak and paws of the crow grows quite quickly: in a month the chicks soar into the sky, roam along with their parents in this or that neighborhood until the onset of winter.

Food

These birds with great pleasure eat all kinds of carrion. They will not refuse from insects, worms, arachnids, small mammals and food waste. Ornithologists believe that all black crows are scavengers in their inner nature. That's why they often visit human dwellings, because there are a lot of household waste. Oh, and this prankster is a black bird with a big beak!

These gluttons like to ruin a huge number of nests of innocent birds, because we have already said that their favorite delicacy is eggs. In addition, black crows willingly devour grains, fruits and berries, green parts of plants. They can chase predatory birds, dogs and foxes for their prey. Of course, it is difficult to imagine exactly how they are going to kill a hefty dog, but no one has canceled sports interest.

Audacity second happiness!

Ornithologists who conducted research and observed the behavior of birds, say that this is a very cautious, quirky and intelligent bird. Black with a black beak, feathers and paws, in their opinion, is a real generator of ideas: as soon as they devise these creatures to get their own food. They are cheating and cheating in their blood. Black crows inhabiting Europe are generally intrusive to arrogance!

By the way, these smart creatures in advance think through their behavior during nesting. Not only that their "houses" are at high altitudes (in the crowns of trees), they behave themselves so that they are difficult to calculate: the nestlings in the nest are quiet and quiet, and their parents - even more so. If a group of crows in winter experiences any difficulties in the search for food, they join the flocks of rooks and rooks without any scruple, even if they are not asked.

Benefit

The economic importance of black crows in human life is difficult to overestimate. These creatures destroy various scum and carrion, and also destroy harmful rodents and insects. They like to destroy the nests of birds, but this is not the reason to consider them pests.