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1. Which order do corvids belong to?
Kaeli Swift RaptorsKaeli SwiftKaeli Swift Corvids are their own groupKaeli SwiftKaeli Swift SongbirdsKaeli SwiftKaeli Swift GullsKaeli SwiftCorvids are songbirds!
Fun fact: ravens are the biggest songbird in North America.
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2. Is this a baby crow?
Is this a baby crow?
No, no, no, noIt's not!
Sometimes the internet betrays us, like the time it told everyone that rail chick was a baby crow. This is a baby crow. It's cute too!
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3. How old can wild crows get?
10 years~20 years!
Although the first 4 years of a crow's life are pretty dangerous, if they can live past this point, many will go one to live another 10-15 years. The oldest documented wild crow was 29.5.
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4. Can you get West Nile virus from touching an infected crow?
YesNoNope!
Although corvids are one of the primary hosts for WNV, there's no evidence you can contract the virus from touching live or dead crows according to the CDC. It's always a good idea, however, to use gloves when handling live or dead wild animals.
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5. The 'Alala was declared extinct in the wild in 2002. Where's this crow from?
HawaiiTrinidadGuamSamoaHawaii
Although wild populations of the 'Alala have been extripated due to habitat loss, predation by invasives, and the spread of toxoplamosis, captive breeding programs in Hawaii and at the San Diego Zoo have been successful.
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6. Why are ravens kept at the Tower of London?
To remind of the deaths that occured thereTo keep the rats at bayTo protect the Crown and the TowerAs a tourist attraction'If the ravens leave the Tower, the Kingdom will fall...'
According to legend, if the 6 ravens of the Tower leave, the monarchy will fall. Although the beginning of this tradition is disputed, most stories say it was Charles II that insisted the ravens be protected. Some ravens have even taken after the tour guides in reminding visitors to 'keep to the path!' using their excellent mimicry skills.
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7. Which of these is not a corvid?
Via "Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax -standing-8" by File:Alpenkrähttp://he.jpg: "Malte Uhl (User:Zzzip)"derivative work: Snowmanradio (talk) - File:Alpenkrähe.jpg. Licensed under CC BY-SA http://2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - commons.wikimedia.org Red-billed choughVia "Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax -standing-8" by File:Alpenkrähttp://he.jpg: "Malte Uhl (User:Zzzip)"derivative work: Snowmanradio (talk) - File:Alpenkrähe.jpg. Licensed under CC BY-SA http://2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - commons.wikimedia.orgVia "Nucifraga columbiana1" by Dave Menke - This image originates from the National Digital Library of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serviceat this pageThis tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still Clark's nutcrackerVia "Nucifraga columbiana1" by Dave Menke - This image originates from the National Digital Library of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serviceat this pageThis tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is stillYathin S Krishnappa / Via en.wikipedia.org White-necked ravenYathin S Krishnappa / Via en.wikipedia.orgThe Australian magpie
Although the story of Penguin, the rescued-turned-pet Australian magpie, is darling and has all the makings of classic boy meets corvid story, Australian magpies are not actually corvids. They're in the family Artamidae with other butcherbirds.
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8. What's a group of ravens called?
An unkindness
Geez, someone really had it out to besmirch the good name of house raven when they came up with that. Although this term is more colloquial than it is scientific, technically this is the name for their collective noun.
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9. Which of these is not a behavior documented by one or more species of corvid?
Making bug repelentWearing berries as jewelryMaking toolsUsing crosswalksTalking like peoplePlaying epic snow gamesThey woke up like this
As far as we know, no individual or species of corvid have ever intentionally decorated themselves. The colored bands applied by researchers are probably the closest they'll ever get.
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10. What's the max number of steps a crow has completed to solve a puzzle?
4 Steps6 steps8 steps10 steps8 steps!
A New Caledonian crow nicknamed '007, successfully completed an 8 (sequential) step puzzle to obtain a treat.
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11. Can anyone have a crow as a pet (in the US)?
NoYesNo
Although pet corvids were common in the 50's, once they were added to the migratory bird treaty act it became illegal to keep them as pets without proper permitting. My friend in the photo has such permitting, and uses her pair for educational outreach.
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12. Approximately how many species of corvid have been documented?
80120200240120!
That's a lot of corvids to love!
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13. Of those, how many are considered endangered?
512172222
There are 22 species that are considered endangered including the Hawaiian crow, the Mariana crow and the Taiwan blue magpie.
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14. Which of the following has been awarded to a raven?
Red cross gold medalDarwin awardNobel piece prizeAcademy award for best actorA red cross gold medal
Jimmy the raven, known for his roles in movies like It's a Wonderful Life, was given this award in honor of his 200 hours spent entertaining the troops after World War II.
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15. What do ravens and crows do when they see their friends getting a better treat from researchers for preforming the same task?
Um, nothing, they're birdsThey attacked them later to steal the better foodThey increased their speed at completeing the taskThey stop doing it cause that's horses***Corvids are about as cool with a wage gap as Patricia Arquette.
After training crows and ravens to exchange tokens for treats, researchers at the University of Vienna allowed individuals to watch their cagemates get a better reward for doing the same task. The corvids said 'no way madam' and some simply stopped doing the work.
corvidresearch.wordpress.com
For more explanations and facts, including a full list of citations, check out the Corvid Research blog.