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Chihuahuan Raven
 
 
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The Chihuahuan Raven (Corvus cryptoleucus), formerly known as the American White-necked Raven, has the proportions of a Common Raven
Common Raven

The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large all-black passerine bird in the Corvidae. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all Corvidae....
 with a heavy bill, but is about the same size as a Carrion Crow
Carrion Crow

The Carrion Crow is a member of the passerine order of birds and the crow family which is native to western Europe and eastern Asia....
, or slightly larger (44-51 cm in length) than the American Crow
American Crow

The American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America....
. The plumage is all-black with a rich purple-blue gloss in good light. The nasal bristles extend farther down the top of the bill than in any other Corvus species to about two-thirds the length.






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The Chihuahuan Raven (Corvus cryptoleucus), formerly known as the American White-necked Raven, has the proportions of a Common Raven
Common Raven

The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large all-black passerine bird in the Corvidae. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all Corvidae....
 with a heavy bill, but is about the same size as a Carrion Crow
Carrion Crow

The Carrion Crow is a member of the passerine order of birds and the crow family which is native to western Europe and eastern Asia....
, or slightly larger (44-51 cm in length) than the American Crow
American Crow

The American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America....
. The plumage is all-black with a rich purple-blue gloss in good light. The nasal bristles extend farther down the top of the bill than in any other Corvus species to about two-thirds the length. The base of the neck feathers are white (seen only when ruffled in strong wind). The bill, legs and feet are black.

Distribution and habitat

Corvus Cyptoleucos Map
It occurs in the southwestern
Southwestern United States

The Southwestern area of the United States could be defined as the states west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit, such as the 37th parallel north, 38th parallel north, 39th parallel north, or 40th parallel north line....
 United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 including southeastern Arizona
Arizona

The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
, southern New Mexico
New Mexico

New Mexico is a U. S. State located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. Inhabited by Native Americans in the United States populations for many centuries, it has also has been part of the Spanish Empire viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S....
, northeastern Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
, central and southern Nebraska
Nebraska

Nebraska is a U.S. state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Western United States.Nebraska probably gets its name from the archaic Chiwere language words ?? Br?sge or the Omaha-Ponca language N? Bth?ska meaning "flat water," after the Platte River that flows through the state....
 and, in Mexico.

Behaviour


Diet

It feeds on cultivated cereal grains, insects and many other invertebrates, small reptiles, carrion and scraps of human food, cactus
Cactus

A cactus is any member of the spine plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas. They are often used as ornamental plants, but some are also Crop plants....
 fruits, eggs and nestlings.

Nesting

The nest is built in either trees, large shrubs or sometimes even in old buildings. There are usually 5-7 eggs laid relatively late in the year during May so as to take advantage of the insect food for their young in their more arid environment.

Voice

The voice is similar to the Common Raven with "pruk-pruk" sounds and other croaks but is not as deep in tone or as varied in range.

Taxonomy

A 2005 molecular study reviewed segments of DNA of the Common Raven
Common Raven

The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large all-black passerine bird in the Corvidae. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all Corvidae....
 and found the Chihuahuan Raven are genetically nested within Common Ravens based on mitochondrial DNA. That is Common Ravens from the California Clade are more similar in mtDNA to Chihuahuan Ravens than they are to Common Ravens in the Holarctic
Holarctic

The Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic, consisting of North America south to northern Mexico....
 Clade. (also see Omland et al. 2000 -- Omland, K. E., C. L. Tarr, W. I. Boarman, J. M. Marzluff, and R. C. Fleischer. 2000. Cryptic genetic variation and paraphyly in ravens. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences Series B 267:2475-2482.)

External links


  • , including Breeding Bird Survey
    Breeding Bird Survey

    A breeding bird survey monitors the status and trends of bird populations. Data from the survey are an important source for the range maps found in field guides....
     and Christmas Bird Count
    Christmas Bird Count

    The Christmas Bird Count is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birders....
     range maps.
  • VIREO