A corroboree is an Australian aboriginal festivity designed purely for
entertainment and relaxation. Members of the avian family Corvidae
(crows, ravens, jays, magpies, and others) are among the most social and
entertaining of all birds. The family probably didn't originate in
Australia, but five crow species live there now. In fact, corvids of one
sort or another can be found on every continent except Antarctica, and
they enliven world mythology, art, literature, and science.
This site is devoted to the natural history of corvids. What you
see here is only a backbone that I'll flesh out as I find time.
Where do we start? With the eggs, of course. This photo of American Crow
eggs was taken by Steve Hinshaw. Most corvid eggs look similar to these:
light green overall with brown spots or splashes. The pattern of brown
may vary from female to female
These are most of the North American corvids:
Fish Crow, Corvus ossifragus
American Crow, Corvus brachyrhnchos
Northern Raven, Corvus corax
Chihuahuan Raven, Corvus cryptoleucus
Florida Scrub-Jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens
Mexican Jay, Aphelocoma ultramarina
Gray Jay, Perisoreus canadensis
Black-billed Magpie, Pica pica
Clark's Nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana
Steller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri
Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata
Green Jay, Cyanocorax yncas
How many corvids have you seen on this checklist?
Includes links to a few other corvid species
How are the corvids related? A family tree
Who studies corvids? Researcher web pages
Where else can I learn about corvids?
A reading list and some links
Note to corvid researchers
CrowNet
If you have a serious interest in corvids, consider joining
CrowNet (formerly JayNet), the
listserver-based electronic mailing list of
corvid biology and biologists. CrowNet is NOT an information source
for inquiries from birdwatchers,school classes or the general public.
Nevertheless, anyone is
welcome to subscribe as a "listener" to scientific exchange over CrowNet;
only registered researchers may submit communications for posting.
To become a registered
researcher, first subscribe to CrowNet and then follow the instructions
in the welcome message. To subscribe to CrowNet, listeners and
registered researchers alike should send a message to
listproc@u.washington.edu leave the
subject line blank and type the following one-line message, left justified:
subscribe crownet <Your Name>
inserting your own name in place of <Your Name>. Do not type
< and >
Created by Cynthia Sims Parr c^s^p^a^r^r^1@yahoo.com.
You'll need to remove the carets to send the message.
Original contents © 1998. Last updated 22 April 1998.
Unless otherwise noted, links and other information provided do not
indicate my endorsement. Please respect copyright laws.
Thanks to Richard D. Alexander who first used the word corroboree to
describe crow flocks, and to Jack Hailman who asked me to create the site,
sent great photos, and generally egged me on (pun intended).