Everglades National Park, Florida today - Crow (1 Viewer)

[Aladdin]

They are widespread but locally uncommon, hence the filter is set to 0, but with the great pictures you got, the sighting is 100% approved.

Thank you!

I was just surprised to see the bird alone, I am used to se them in groups in Europe.

My plans just changed, straight to Flamingo Visitor Center tomorrow morning, they say one Flamingo has been sighted so I might be lucky.

Kind Regards
Aladdin

 

[tom baxter]

In Miami-Dade county, the rule of thumb is American Crow is in the Everglades and surrounding areas, while Fish Crow is in the urban areas.

Add to this, the American Crows found within the park have different vocalization than those seen anywhere else in its range (including Central Florida).

The recording also matches for what the locals always count as American Crow, including the eBird reviewers, so I would advise to treat it as American.

If you want to see Fish Crow, pretty much any crow you saw in urban Miami is a Fish Crow.

The continental field guides are great for bird ID but the range maps leave a lot to be desired in a local level, it's to the point that most counties in South Florida only see/report American Crow in the inland areas as the species seems to be have been pushed out of the urban regions by the Fish Crows.

Not doubting that this is true, I have no reason to doubt that this is how things are typically handled, but this seems unscientific and I think its potentially bad practice.

 

[Andy Hurley]

Apropro American and Fish Crows, something I picked up from a thread here years ago (Just remembered I pencilled these notes into the margins of my copy of the older Eastern Sibley):

American Crow
P5 to 8 are approx equal in length
Neck often extended
Throat not substantially fluffed
Longer thighs than Fish Crow

Fish Crow
P9 smaller or equal to P5
P7 + P8 longest
Often shorter necked and fluffed throat
Shorter thighs than Am. Crow

 

[01101001]

Apropro American and Fish Crows, something I picked up from a thread here years ago (Just remembered I pencilled these notes into the margins of my copy of the older Eastern Sibley):

American Crow
P5 to 8 are approx equal in length
Neck often extended
Throat not substantially fluffed
Longer thighs than Fish Crow

Fish Crow
P9 smaller or equal to P5
P7 + P8 longest
Often shorter necked and fluffed throat
Shorter thighs than Am. Crow

Illustrating your point:

Fish Crow ID

EDIT: Going by the info above, the one below should be a (quote-unquote) decided American Crow regardless of location because of the posture while calling:

 

[Andy Hurley]

Indeed! Far more details that I could'nt possibly fit in the margins lol, so I bookmark the page. Thanks for this.

Edit: the bird lacks a strongly curved culmen tip, or hook, which is also a strong feature shown in your article

 

[lgonz1008]

Hi Aladdin,

I got your checklist in the rare bird alert email this morning and it looks like you posted the BBPL photo in the Sanderling spot. You might want to update it: https://ebird.org/checklist/S132545138

 

[Aladdin]

Hi Aladdin,

I got your checklist in the rare bird alert email this morning and it looks like you posted the BBPL photo in the Sanderling spot. You might want to update it: https://ebird.org/checklist/S132545138

Cheers!

I have changed the picture now

Kind Regards
Aladdin

 

[Butty]

American Crow
P5 to 8 are approx equal in length
Fish Crow
P9 smaller or equal to P5
P7 + P8 longest

FWIW, I have tried out these criteria on photos in the past (in fact on photos that were supposed to illustrate the differences) and found them unworkable/duff.

the one below should be a (quote-unquote) decided American Crow regardless of location because of the posture while calling

On a single photo? No chance.

 

[01101001]

On a single photo? No chance.

Stretched neck + no throat heckles; what else do we expect to see (or do we want to make sure whether it's the usual posture adopted by this particular bird)?

 

[Butty]

(or do we want to make sure whether it's the usual posture adopted by this particular bird)?

Yup. Postures vary second by second.
On top of which, the statements...

Neck often extended
Throat not substantially fluffed
Often shorter necked and fluffed throat

... clearly do not indicate hard-and-fast differences on which one can rest an ID.

 

[Andy Hurley]

But if you see this behaviour you can start looking for other field marks as it is a pointer. Like many field marks, one should not be taken alone, except where it is unique. You should be able to measure things like tibia size compared to body length, if you know the formula. In this case I don't, but I could probably pick one out in a mixed flock. I would try to look for the flight feathers, if they flap or fly off. The wing formulae seem to be a far sounder field mark.