Corvoidea

We humans learn some of our earliest life lessons from our brothers and sisters, watching what toys our siblings play with and what treats they stash away for later. In this Halloween season podcast, Ari Daniel Shapiro journeys to Austria to learn how such social learning happens in a spooky bird—the raven. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain Download a transcript of this podcast read moreDuration: 5:26Published: Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:52:05 +0000

A flock of Western Scrub-Jays "Mob" something near the marsh one November day. Usually they'll mob an enemy such as an owl or snake, but I never saw what their target was this time. In the same "mob" were Song and White-crowned Sparrows (which can be heard in this sample), Flickers, Gila Woodpeckers and Abert's Towhees.

I recorded this unusual vocalization of Western Scrub-Jays at very close range with a parabolic mic while they were feeding on freshly ripening Piñon Pine nuts, their favorite Fall treat! They will often "hover" below a pine cone and extract the nuts from below, and they gather in large numbers when an area of Piñons is ripening. This is a sound I heard several individuals make, and it's almost as if they're talking with their mouths full! (No manners, those Jays!)

White-throated Magpie-Jays (Calocitta formosa) are beautiful big jays that travel the North Pacific slopes in small flocks. Their songs and calls are quite varied - this is one of the typical calls, recorded on the road to Monteverde (Costa Rica).

American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) abound in the US, although they stay only in the higher elevations in Arizona. These were recorded just North of Durango, Colorado, in October, 1997. Listen to the difference between the Northwestern Crow and the American Crow, which may or may not be the same species - my money is on two species.

Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) like everyone to know where they are. If they are in the area you'll know it by this well-known "caw". In this case two Crows perform a duet for your listening pleasure. They are wonderful "talkers" and they have lots of variations on the "caw" theme. Listen for the differences in these two, which appeared to be a couple. Northwestern Crows are considered by many experts to be the same species as the American Crow (C. brachyrhynchos), which is somewhat larger, and has a different voice.

In late February I was fortunate to find a gathering of Ravens consisting of over 200 birds! The birds wheel and dive, roll, spin and generally show off, many holding twigs and sticks in their beaks while they fly. Their acrobatics took my breath away, and this recording is some of the wing sounds of one those wild flights.

Here is a sample of their calling en masse.

A hapless Raven (Corvus corax) sits in a Piñon Pine in Sedona, Arizona. He has been "pinned" here by a pair of Phainopeplas, which alternately sit a foot above his head, waiting for him to fly so they can harrass him again. The first three plaintive notes are him begging for mercy, and the final set of "caws" is when he gives up, flying away and making as much noise as possible ("Maybe", he thinks," if I'm really noisy, they'll leave me alone"...he was wrong!)

Steller's Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) are common residents of coniferous forests in the Western US. This one announces his presence in a Douglas Fir near Rosario, in the San Juan Islands of Washington State.

Here's his laughing "whinny" call.

Steller's Jays are famous for mimicry, especially of raptors. This example shows some of their parrot-like chatter and calling - easy to see how they might slip into mimicry!

These Black-chested Jays (Cyanocorax affinis) announced themselves at the El Pizote lodge (one of my favorite spots), near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (Costa Rica), 6/23/99.

Brown Jays (Cyanocorax morio) are very common residents of both slopes. They hate quiet and will do whatever they can to destroy it when they find it! You'll also hear the call of Blue-crowned Motmot in this recording. (Costa Rica)

Here is an example of a group of Brown Jays (Cyanocorax morio) near the Cabinas el Bosque, Monteverde, 6/17/99.

Here is an unusual vocalization by a Brown Jay (Cyanocorax morio) also recorded near the Cabinas el Bosque, Monteverde (Costa Rica), 6/17/99.

Azure-hooded Jay (Cyanolyca cucullata) This medium-sized Jay's call is a ringing alarm in the Monteverde Cloud Forest - in the city you'd think it may be someone's car alarm!

A Rufous-browed Peppershrike (Cyclarhis gujanensis) sits in the canopy above my head on the trail around Cabinas el Bosque, Monteverde(Costa Rica), early morning 6/16/99, and sings this song - over and over and over...

Here's a remarkable recording of a huge flock of Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) which flew over my room at Grand Canyon, Arizona, December 12, 1997. These Jays often flock together, but this flock was extraordinary. There were perhaps 1000-1500 birds together, all calling at the same time. It's difficult to estimate large numbers, but the flock flew over me for just over 60 seconds, and was at least 50 meters wide, solid with birds!

Lesser Greenlet (Hylophilus decurtatus) This bird was heard, but not seen at the top of the trails in Manuel Antonio (Costa Rica), 6/15/98. He's a member of the Vireo family.

Here is an example of a Lesser Greenlet (Hylophilus decurtatus) from Tortuguero (Costa Rica). He's a member of the Vireo family.

Another Lesser Greenlet, sings a different song high in a tree at El Pizote, near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (Costa Rica), 6/21/99. He's a member of the Vireo family. Note that the first note of their "normal" song/call is identical to the notes in this call.

This Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) was chattering at Tavasci Marsh [Arizona], 9/98.

Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica) are abundant in the colder regions of Western North America (and Eurasia). Here are a couple of samples of their sounds, but there are many, many variations and combinations. These were recorded just North of Durango, Colorado, 10/97.