--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@...> wrote:
> On the subject of ornithology (off topic): since a couple of years,
the
> city where I live (Hilversum, Holland) has been completely taken
over by
> rooks or ravens (I'm not sure what they are: black loud corvids, in
any
> case). There's thousands of them, everywhere. Worse (lugete, o
Veneres
> Cupidinesque), all the little musjes (pardalets, wróbelki,
sparrows) have
> disappeared. (My cat misses them too, for different reasons). How
wide-
> spread is this phenomenon?
Just Magpies in Manchester, but the Crows are terrible in Moscow,
although their vorobyi [musjes] seem to get on just fine. I pass
hundreds of the latter on my way to work, having 'sand-baths' in
little hollows by the pavement that they use everyday.
I really wouldn't expect to find either Rooks or Ravens in a city. I
suspect you're looking at carrion crows ['normal' crows, sometimes
[always in Russia] with a grey hood - Corvus corone, or
brachyrrhyncus], or if they are smaller with white staring eyes then
they might be Jackdaws [Corvus monedula] which are very common in the
seaside towns of North Wales. Here are some nice little pictures of
each for you to learn [there will be a test at the end of the week,
boys and girls!];
http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/corvidae.html
and here's a nice list of Old Englisc bird names if anyone's
interested, including Alex's alternative Magpie names;
http://www.kami.demon.co.uk/gesithas/birdlore/birdlist.html
I do think a magpie looks very like a crow, though. Especially if
you look at its face, and general body shape [except tail of
course]. The character is very similar too. Lovely garrulous
birds! I bought a very nice glass one in Velikiy Novgorod a while
back...
Ben