Chihuahan Raven

Chihuahuan Raven

Sad but true.  I've come to the end of the Birds of Prey series for our Tucson Desert.  It was fun while it lasted.  I've presented to you over the past 3 months many varieties of hawks, owls, and falcons.  Today I end with a bird that is often viewed from around town.  Have you ever seen a raven?  A black raven?  Okay, that's probably just a crow.  I'm talking...."R.A.V.E.N."  You know the one?  Yes you do:)  It's while you're walking your dog and this monstrous gigantic enormous big black giant bird comes out of nowhere and you say to yourself, "What the hell kind of raven is that?! What did it a eat?  A horse?"  You soon realize that it's watching you and you begin to wonder, "Will I die today? Is it going to speak to me?  Does it carry a secret message from Jon Snow? Is Winter Coming?"  Okay okay....I'm geting carried away here.  If you watch A Game of Thrones on HBO or have read the books, you'll get the joke.  And how about Season 2 so far?!! Focus.  Focus:)  Back to the Chihuahan Raven.  It's intelligent.  It's smarter than your average dog.  And it's a common bird seen around town.  It feeds on cultivated cereal grains, insects and many other invertebrates, small reptiles, carrion and scraps of human food, cactus fruits, eggs and nestlings. It has been known to look at itself in the mirror quite a few times.  Just ask scientists at our local space observatories.  They all chuckle at this bird.  The random tourist will often say, "Oh boy!  Look at that hawk."  And like an annoying birder, I respond in a nasal voice, "Oh no sir.  That's no hawk; that's a Chihuahuan Raven.  But it sure looks like one, doesn't it?" Then I laugh and snort ostrasizing myself from the group with whispers and chuckles behind my back.  The biggest sucker punch happens when someone says, "We used to shoot them back home." Ugh.  Ignorance.  "Well, if you do that here sir, you'll go to jail."  Next time you look up and see a big black bird soaring in the sky, you might be witnessing the beautiful and often overlooked Chihuahuan Raven. And watch for how it can just hover in the wind...that's the coolest!  More tomorrow....