Corvid

Corvids (Corvidae) are a family of passerine birds.

General information[]

A corvid is any of the stout-billed passerine birds in the family Corvidae. These include crows, ravens, and jays, to name a few. Corvids are known for their high intellect, often thought of as the smartest birds. They can solve problems with brilliant solutions and understand complicated situations. Crows in Japan have learned to put nuts on roads and wait for cars to crush their hard shells; common ravens are considered the smartest birds ever, as they have a brilliant memory and solve difficult problems working together and learning by their mistakes, magpies can recognize themselves in a mirror, jays can remember the positions of hundreds of seeds they hide in the woods, and crows are able to remember the facial features of a human. They have been also known to pass on information to their offspring. Corvids are found in almost every continent (except of the Antarctica). They live in a wide variety of habitats, including woodlands, moorlands, mountains, sea cliffs, deserts and tundras. The species with the widest range is the Common Raven, that lives in Eurasia, North America and Oceania. Corvids are subdivided in many genera, including Corvus (crows, ravens and (formerly,) jackdaws), Pica (magpies), Garrulus (Eurasian jays), Coloeus (jackdaws), Calocitta (New World magpie-jays), Cyanopica (azure-winged magpies), Cyanocitta (New World jays), Perisoreus (Siberian jays), Pyrrhocorax (choughs) and many others. Corvids are omnivorous, eating seeds, insects, carrion (roadkill is a common source of food), small reptiles, rats, mice (ravens can even kill bigger rodents, such as rabbits), small bird species, nestlings, eggs, fruit and berries. Many corvids have learned to live in cities, where they can find food like refuse and bread. Many corvid species have gregarious habits, especially jackdaws and sometimes crows, and can form very big flocks. Other species, like magpies, are solitary birds and prefer to feed and nest in couples.