Try looking under Carrion Crow which is it's proper name.
...the Common Crow?
Following up from the Piggin Shooters thread I was amazed to find that it's not even featured on the RSPB website.
Then I had a look in my 20+ year old Readers Digest bird book and it ain't there either!
Is it completely gone from the UK now?
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease, with 100% fatality." R.D.Laing
Try looking under Carrion Crow which is it's proper name.
No Lizz, that's not the same bird .
The bird I remember from my youth was quite a bit smaller than the others, with a yellow/orangey bill.
I'm talking 40-50 years ago, but haven't seen one for at least 30 years.
Guess it was down to that pesticide that was banned eventually that affected the thickness of the eggshells of some birds...it was a series of letters that escapes me at the moment.
This Auldtimer's Disease is hard sometimes!
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease, with 100% fatality." R.D.Laing
The only crow I remember that has not got a black beak is the Chough.
A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.
You guys thinking of this bird ?
It's close (it is black, and a bird, Blackbird) however it's not a crow.lol
A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.
Isle of Lewis
Have crows here but mainly large hoodies.
Hate it when they start attacking the lambs, pecking out their eyes, tongue or through their skulls - had one lamb a month old in the next field and doing well until the hoodies started attacking it, dead in a very short time dispite mother doing her best. Had thought that at a month and it was a strong lamb it was past being attacked but no - vicious birds.
Ah, should have translated the word before I looked it up. Of course it's not a crow, far too small.
It's the only black bird with an orange beak I remember though...
No Stefan, the bird I'm talking about was maybe about twice the size of a blackbird, maybe even a bit more.
Just seems a bit strange that it seems to have been airbrushed out of history!
1984....
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease, with 100% fatality." R.D.Laing
Is this the crow you remember Aaldtimer? Chough
A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.
Oh, now I remember. They were slightly smaller than the crow and had a light yellowish beak, however, I would only see them when I went on holiday. There wasn't any where I lived.
I think you call them rooks.
I think that the rook is our second biggest crow next to the raven... but I could be wrong.
"Step sideways, pause and study those around you. You will learn a great deal."
No Kevin, not the Chough. I don't think they ever made it to the Dundee area where I was raised.
No Stefan, not the Rook either!
....Nor the Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, or Raven...
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease, with 100% fatality." R.D.Laing
http://www.natur-lexikon.com/Texte/H...lpendohle.html
Never seen one but it fits the description.... it's none of the listed above, is black with a yellow beak and smaller than the crow but larger than the blackbird. Belongs to the family of crows as well.
Good affort Stefan, but that is an Alpine Chough.
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease, with 100% fatality." R.D.Laing
No idea then. Can't help....
None of the European Crow family have or ever have had yellow beaks except the Alpine Chough which has already been mentioned, the chances of seeing one of these locally or anywhere in the UK would be extremely, extremely rare and would have the twitchers flocking here in droves! Where exactly did you see this bird(s), if you saw it in the south -west of Scotland then it could be a Common Chough where they do occur, these normally have blood red beaks, but occasionally can be orangey. Once again these are rare birds in the UK and are very local in their habitat, to my knowledge they have never been recorded in Caithness, but I'll stand correcting on that one!
nirofo.
Bookmarks