Feathers of the fore neck lanceolate and elongated; tail much rounded; plumage deep black, glossed with blue and purplish-blue, the lower parts with green. Young with the feathers of the throat oblong, the upper parts less glossy, the lower dull greyish-black.
From the Highlands of South Carolina, northward to the Polar Seas. Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Canada. Rocky Mountains and Columbia River. Rather common in some parts.
Raven, Corvus Corax, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ix. p. 136.
Corvus Corax, Raven, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 290.
Raven, Corvus Corax, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 202.
Raven, Corvus Corax, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 1; v. v. p. 476.
225. 2. Corvus Americanus, Aud. American Crow.
Feathers of the head and neck oval and blended; fourth quill longest; general colour black, with purplish-blue reflections; the hind parts of the neck tinged with purplish-brown; the lower parts less glossy. Young of a rather dull brownish-black, with the blue and purple reflections much less brilliant.
Generally distributed from the Gulf of Mexico to Columbia River; throughout the interior, and along the coast, northward to Lat. 55°. Congregates in immense numbers in the Southern and Western States during winter.
Crow, Corvus Corone, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 79.
Cervus Corone, Crow, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 291.
Crow, Corvus Corone, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 209.
American Crow, Corvus Americanus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 317; v. v. p. 477.
226. 3. Corvus ossifragus, Wils. Fish-Crow.
Feathers of the head and neck oval and blended; third quill longest; tail considerably rounded, a small space at the base of the lower mandible on each side bare; general colour black, with blue and purple reflections above, blue and greenish beneath. Young brownish-black, with the blue and purple reflections less brilliant.
From the mouths of the Mississippi upwards to Natchez, and along the Atlantic to New York. Common. Resident in the Southern States. Columbia River.
Fish Crow, Corvus ossifragus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. v. p. 27.
Fish Crow, Corvus ossifragus, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 216.
Fish Crow, Corvus ossifragus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 268; v. v. p. 479.
Bill of moderate length, stout, considerably compressed; upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate and arched, the sides convex, the ridge narrow, the edges nearly straight and overlapping, the notches faint, the tip declinate, and rather sharp; lower mandible with the angle rather long and wide, the dorsal line ascending and slightly convex, the edges inclinate, the tip narrow. Nostrils basal, lateral, roundish, covered by narrow stiff feathers directed forwards. Head large, ovate; neck rather short; body compact. Legs of moderate length, strong; tarsus stout, compressed, with eight scutella; toes of moderate length, stout, first large, stronger; lateral nearly equal, third considerably longer. Claws strong, arched, compressed, acute. Plumage full, soft, blended. Wings of moderate length, much rounded, the first quill very short, extremely narrow and falciform, fourth and fifth longest. Tail very long, graduated. Digestive organs as in Corvus.