Curious Corvids
Corvids (songbirds of the crow family) are smart, innovative, playful birds who amaze anyone observing them. They’ve been seen doing things people may not associate with birds, such as playing fetch, sledding, holding funerals, and using tools.
If you’re new to birdwatching, corvids are a good place to start. In the spring they go quiet but for the rest of the year they are noisy. Individuals within a flock call to each other constantly so they’re easy to find and follow. They get outraged about threats and mob them, so if a bunch of corvids are yelling in an area, you know to look for a predator. I’ve found owls in the middle of the day simply by following the sounds of angry corvids. They are also fantastic mimics. Remember how Blue-gray Gnatcatchers use imitations in their songs? Corvids do this as well and will also use imitations as warning calls. Birds are more observant than we are. If you hear a jay or magpie doing a Cooper’s Hawk impersonation, chances are there is a Cooper’s Hawk in the area. Similarly, they copy Red-tailed Hawk and Golden Eagle calls. To them it’s a sophisticated warning system, providing others with details about an observed, immediate threat. To us it’s a fascinating, fun behavior.
We have three species in the Foothills. The black-and-white Black-billed Magpie has a long tail, black hood, and iridescent feathers that can look black, blue, green, or violet. Woodhouse’s Scrub Jays are blue above, pale gray below, with a white throat and cocky attitude. Steller’s Jays have a black crest and head and are otherwise warm blue. All of them are confident, vocal, and bold, and have a strong presence in Gambel oak woodlands. Magpies and Scrub Jays will nest in oaks. Gambel oak thickets provide great cover against predators. They’re dense and difficult to push through and large predatory birds cannot easily dive into them. Additionally, all three species devour acorns. They cache hundreds of acorns to help them survive the fall and winter. Acorns may comprise two-thirds of their diet during this period of limited food availability. As extreme weather events become more common, our Gambel oak woodlands become increasingly crucial for corvid existence in and around Salt Lake City.
By Maria Goller
