51 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
51 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
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There's an old nonsense song called the Old Carrion Crow.
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From 2000 to 2003 the world's best wooden roller coaster was called The Raven.
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The average raven has a four-foot wingspan.
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The average crow has a three-foot wingspan.
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Crows and ravens are members of the corvid family, the most adaptable and intelligent family of birds in the world.
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Crows and ravens can mimic sounds and associate sounds with events.
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Crows roost in flocks of several thousand in the winter.
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Crows are omnivorous, making them capable scavangers and opportunistic hunters.
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Crows prefer coniferous trees to build their homes at least 60 feet above the ground.
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Paired males and females share in the raising of the four to six eggs.
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One crow baby will frequently remain in the nest to assist in the caring for the next nestlings.
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While crows have a reputation for eating corn, they often eat the bugs that plague crops.
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Crows and ravens are territorial when young are in the nest, dive-bombing passersby.
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The Sioux have a story of a white crow warning buffalo of approaching hunting parties. The bird turned black when a hunter threw it into the fire in rage.
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Crows have been hunted and even had bounties placed on them by several governments, including by Kings of England.
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Crows can use a number of calls to communicate situations and emotions.
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Crows mate for life and share the care of nestlings.
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Crows are often challenged by larger hunting birds, like owls and hawks; they use superior numbers when outmatched.
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Crows only migrate long distances in harsh winters.
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A group of crows or ravens is called a murder.
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Crows live everywhere except Antarctica.
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Crows are susceptible to West Nile Virus, which has felled many of them since 1999.
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Crows' association with death comes from their scavenger natures -- they are often seen near the dead on battlefields.
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Ravens are acrobatic fliers on par with hawks and falcons. In mating season, they put on acrobatic shows for potential mates.
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Native Americans often honor ravens in their stories for their playful nature.
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Ravens hunt in groups to bring down prey too large for a single bird.
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Ravens range from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, building large stick nests.
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Ravens have an average wild lifespan of 13 years.
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Common ravens range from 24 to 30 inches long with up to a 5 foot (1.5m) wingspan, weighing in at 2.3 pounds.
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Legend has it that if ravens leave the Tower of London, the fortress will fall and the British kingdom along with it.
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Ravens are the largest passerine (perching) birds in North America.
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Ravens can live up to 40 years in captivity or protected conditions.
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Krummi_1.jpg
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Ravens have one of the largest bills of perching birds.
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Common ravens have quarrelsome family lives, but they are extremely devoted to their families.
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Common ravens (Corvus corax) store food, hiding it from other ravens.
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A group of ravens is commonly called a flock.
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Ravens don't migrate except in the harshest winters.
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In addition to their bills, ravens may drop rocks as weapons.
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Young ravens are fascinated with all things new, but older ravens become more cautious and neophobic with experience.
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Ravens are known to play, sliding down snowdrifts for fun and play games with wolves and other animals.
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Ravens are one of only a few species known to make toys, breaking off branches for social play.
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The raven is the national bird of Bhutan and the official bird of the Yukon.
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The raven was the first bird sent forth by Noah but didn't return until the flood waters receded.
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Ravens feed the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1 and are a subject of a parable in Luke 12:24, as a sign for man not to be materialistic.
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The Native Americans saw the Raven as a creator and world-shaper.
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Native American mythology holds that Raven brought the sun, moon, stars, and fire into the world.
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The Norse god Odin had two ravens Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Mind) to serve as his eyes in the world.
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The raven is the symbol of the Celtic figure Morrigan and the namesake of Lugh, the god responsible for creating arts and science.
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The raven appears in the Quran but once, only to teach man to bury the dead in the story of Cain and Abel.
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