On this page

The books are listed in order of publication date with the most recent at the top.

Crows and their allies

Family: Corvidae

In the UK

Carrion Crow/Hooded Crow
Corvus corone

Raven
Corvus corax

Rook
Corvus frugilegus

Jackdaw
Corvus monedula

Jay
Garrulus glandarius

Magpie (Black Billed Magpie)
Pica pica

Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

Worldwide

Worldwide the Corvidae comprises approximately:

- 45 species of crows/ravens
- 50 species of jays
- 14 species of magpie
- 11 species of treepies
- 2 species of choughs
- 3 species of nutcrackers.

Crows and Jays: A Guide to the Crows, Jays and Magpies of the World

Steve Madge and Hilary Burn

2013

This is a reprint of the 1999 edition not a new edition

"120 species of crows, jays and their allies exist in the world today. Many are exceedingly beautiful in colour, grace and form, whereas others are black and somewhat sinister in appearance. In no other group of perching birds has evolution produced such a degree of variation, from the tiny Hume's Ground-Jay of the steppe-highlands of Tibet to the huge Thick-billed Raven of the mountains of Ethiopia. Some have had a long association with people and appear in tales of mythology and superstition, while others have been regarded as agricultural pests. The great majority, however, remain largely unknown, their only contact with humanity being the destruction of their specialised habitats. As a consequence, more than 20 species are now regarded as internationally endangered, some of which are very poorly known. The 30 superb colour plates by Hilary Burn in this book depict them all; each plate is accompanied by an informative caption page summarising the criteria required to identify the species, alongside colour world distribution maps. Some of these birds, bearing such evocative names as the Banggai Crow, Mesopotamian Crow and Flores Crow, have never been illustrated before. The authoritative text by Steve Madge treats each species in depth, summarising identification techniques and concisely reviewing all aspects of corvid behaviour, distribution, population and taxonomy. The author has had first-hand experience of most of the species during his travels throughout the world, travels in which he gradually became fascinated by this very special, but somewhat ignored, group of birds. Crows and Jays is a combination of scientifically accurate information and an identification guide, planned to give anyone, whether a birdwatcher or biologist, a greater understanding of the lives of these beautiful, yet very complex, group of birds."

Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans

John Marzluff and Tony Angell

2012

"With his extraordinary research on the intelligence and startling abilities of corvids – crows, ravens, and jays – American scientist John Marzluff teams up with artist-naturalist Tony Angell to tell amazing stories of these brilliant birds in Gifts of the Crow. With narrative, diagrams, and gorgeous line drawings, they offer an in-depth look at these complex creatures and our shared behaviors. The ongoing connection between humans and crows – a cultural coevolution – has shaped both species for millions of years. And the characteristics of crows that allow this symbiotic relationship are language, delinquency, frolic, passion, wrath, risk-taking, and awareness – seven traits that humans find strangely familiar. Crows gather around their dead, warn of impending doom, recognize people, commit murder of other crows, lure fish and birds to their death, swill coffee, drink beer, turn on lights to stay warm, design and use tools, use cars as nutcrackers, windsurf and sled to play, and work in tandem to spray soft cheese out of a can. Their marvelous brains allow them to think, plan, and reconsider their actions. With its abundance of funny, awe-inspiring, and poignant stories, Gifts of the Crow portrays creatures who are nothing short of amazing. A testament to years of painstaking research and careful observation, this fully illustrated, riveting work is a thrilling look at one of nature's most wondrous creatures."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

City of Ravens: The Extraordinary History of London, the Tower and its Famous Ravens

Boria Sax

2011

"The tales tell that Charles the Second feared ‘Britain will fall' if the ravens ever left the Tower of London. Yet the truth is that they arrived in Victorian times as props in gory tales for tourists. The legend began in 1944 when a raven spotted bombers over London. But the ravens' past has far more high drama. From the plains of the North American Indians to the Arctic tundra, all the way to the Tower of London, they have been symbols of cruelty, of survival through adversity, and a loveable icon. Boria Sax shows how our attitudes to the raven and to the natural world in general have changed enormously over the centuries. By describing the distinct place of this special bird in Anglo-Saxon culture, he shows how blurred the lines between myth and history can be. This is a unique and brilliantly readable story of the entwined lives of people and animals."

Dog Days, Raven Nights

John Marzluff and Colleen Marzluff

2011

"Twenty years ago, fresh out of graduate school and recently married, John and Colleen Marzluff left Arizona for a small cabin in the mountains of western Maine. Their mission: to conduct the first-ever extensive study of the winter ecology of the Common Raven under the tutelage of biologist Bernd Heinrich. Drawing on field notes and personal diaries, they vividly and eloquently chronicle their three-year endeavour to research a mysterious and often misunderstood bird - assembling a gigantic aviary, climbing sentry trees, building bird blinds in the forest, capturing and sustaining 300 ravens as study subjects, and enduring harsh Maine winters in pursuit of their goal. They also share the unique challenges and joys of raising, training, and racing the sled dogs that assisted them in their work. Accompanied by Evon Zerbetz's lovely linocut illustrations, "Dog Days, Raven Nights" is a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the adventures of field science and an insightful exploration of the nature of relationships, both animal and human."

Crow Planet

Lyanda Lynn Haupt

2009

"There are more crows now than ever. Their abundance is both an indicator of ecological imbalance and a generous opportunity to connect with the animal world. Crow Planet reminds us that we do not need to head to faraway places to encounter 'nature'. Rather, even in the suburbs and cities where we live we are surrounded by wild life such as crows, and through observing them we can enhance our appreciation of the world's natural order. Crow Planet richly weaves Haupt's own 'crow stories' as well as scientific and scholarly research and the history and mythology of crows, culminating in a book that is sure to make readers see the world around them in a very different way."

Crow Country

Mark Cocker

2007

"One night Mark Cocker followed the roiling, deafening flock of rooks and jackdaws which regularly passed over his Norfolk home on their way to roost in the Yare valley. From the moment he watched the multitudes blossom as a mysterious dark flower above the night woods, these gloriously commonplace birds were unsheathed entirely from their ordinariness. They became for Cocker a fixation and a way of life. Cocker goes in search of them, journeying from the cavernous, deadened heartland of South England to the hills of Dumfriesshire, experiencing spectacular failures alongside magical successes and epiphanies. Step by step he uncovers the complexities of the birds' inner lives, the unforeseen richness hidden in the raucous crow song he calls 'our landscape made audible'. Crow Country is a prose poem in a long tradition of English pastoral writing. It is also a reminder that 'Crow Country' is not 'ours': it is a landscape which we cohabit with thousands of other species, and these richly complex fellowships cannot be valued too highly."

In the Company of Crows and Ravens

John M. Marzluff

Foreword: Tony Angell

Yale University Press

2005

"In this delightful blend of science, art, and anthropology, biologist Marzluff and illustrator Angell, both fascinated by the corvids, demonstrate why the crows and ravens are worthy of study and respect. Crows and ravens are adaptable, intelligent, and able to learn, remember, and use insight to solve problems. They use unique methods to obtain food, such as pulling up the lines of ice fishermen and rolling walnuts under car wheels. Humans have long noted these large, black, brainy birds, and their images have entered human culture (we "eat crow," open things with a "crowbar") and human mythology (the Norse god Odin was guided by two ravens). The text travels easily from science to folklore to literature, which, along with Angell's lively black-and-white illustrations, recommends this book highly"

Caw of the Wild: Observations from the Secret World of Crows

Barb Kirpluk

2005

"Caw of the Wild is an in-depth exploration into the intriguing and complex behavior of one of North America's most intelligent, but often reviled, birds - the American Crow. As a passionate observer, author Barb Kirpluk shares her extraordinary and fascinating findings, while tracking three urban crow families through their daily existence. By befriending the birds and gaining their trust, Kirpluk shares many observations on subjects, such as: the language of crows; crow habits and social relationships; and the endearing personal relationships that evolved and allowed her to learn from the birds. Kirpluk brings to life the unforgettable characters of these birds, by combining anecdotal tales and recent scientific literature."

Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys

Candace Sherk Savage

2005

"A wide-ranging introduction to over 40 species of the crow family. these fascinating birds. Topics explored include evolution, distribution, diet and food-getting practices (including their ingenious use of tools), social behaviour (including the many crow "languages"), and impact on the human imagination, as reflected in mythology, literature, and popular aphorisms."

Choughs: Palores

Deborah King

2004

"A celebration in pictures and verse welcoming the legendary Chough back to its homeland. Poems in Cornish & English, with colour paintings."

Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour of an Unusual Songbird

Gisela Kaplan

2004

"Brings together everything we know about the biology and behaviour of this unusual species. It includes the latest research on magpie vocalisation and aspects of anatomy, physiology, development and health not previously published. This research spans six years with more than 6000 hours of observation of free-ranging magpies and nest-sites."

Noncooperative Breeding in the California Scrub-Jay

William J. Carmen

Cooper Ornithological Society

2004

From the abstract: "I studied the ecology, behavior, and demography of the noncooperatively breeding Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma calfornica calfornica) in central coastal California. Cooperative breeding is ancestral in Aphelocoma jays and its loss in Western Scrub-Jays presents an opportunity for appropriate phylogenetic and ecological comparisons within the genus to identify key factors selecting for the alternative social systems. My intent was to gather comparative data to test several models for the evolution and maintenance of delayed dispersal and group living in birds, which were developed from long-term studies of cooperative breeders, including the closely related Florida Scrub-Jay (A. coerulescens) and Mexican Jay (A. ultramarina). The fundamental result of these comparisons is that models for the evolution of delayed dispersal and group living in birds fail as general explanations when floating is ignored or treated as a one-dimensional phenomenon. Factors that lead to delayed dispersal in cooperative species are known to be complex and may differ substantially among species and populations, and even among individuals within populations and groups. Conditions leading to early dispersal and floating may be equally complex. Clearly, opportunities for independent breeding are constrained in both cooperative and noncooperative populations. What then makes early dispersal and floating the preferred strategy in Western Scrub-Jays? Several factors play a part, including (1) the interplay between the pattern of habitat quality and acorn production, (2) the varied behaviors floaters may employ to exploit these resources and acquire breeding space, (3) the behavioral interactions between territorial jays and floaters, and (4) the ability of floaters to settle on low-quality territories and then, as breeders, to move and improve the quality of their territories."

Crow

Boria Sax

Reaktion Books

2003

184 pages, 27 colour illustrations , 68 other illustraions

"This book considers crows, ravens, magpies and their relatives in myth, literature and life. It ranges from the raven sent out by Noah to the corvid deities of the Eskimo, to Taoist legends, Victorian novels and recent films. It will be of interest to all people who have ever been intrigued, puzzled, annoyed or charmed by these wonderfully intelligent birds." (from text on rear cover of book)

A Murder of Crows

Richard Spilsbury and Louise Spilsbury

Heinemann

2003

A book for older children that focuses on the carrion crow, the hooded crow, and the common (American) crow though it does include other members of the family. Information is mainly provided in a series of question and answer section such as; what is a roost like, how smart are crows, and how do flocks care for their young? The book is illustrated with color photographs of a variety of crows.

Crows!: Strange and Wonderful

Laurence Pringle

2002

"Pringle's informal, fact-filled narrative and Marstall's clear, beautiful pictures show that behind the noise is a complex language (they make at least 25 different sounds) and a great variety of smart birds that show their intelligence in many ways. The information about where crows live, what they eat, how they hunt, mate, nest, raise their young, protect themselves, migrate, and so on through the seasons is presented in an immediate, simple style that brings the reader up close to many birds in forests, fields, and city streets. The details make clear that both author and artist know these birds, and the combination of biology and personal observation will help children see for themselves that there is nothing "common" about the common crow. With the dramatic pictures of the big, glossy black birds, this science book is great for group sharing and for a lively read-aloud."

Crows and Jays: A Guide to the Crows, Jays and Magpies of the World

Steve Madge and Hilary Burn

2001

"In no other group of perching birds has evolution produced such a degree of variation as in the 120 species of crows and jays that inhabit the world today. They range from the tiny Hume's Ground-jay of the steppe-highlands of Tibet to the huge Thick-billed Raven of the mountains of Ethiopia. Some are exceedingly beautiful in color, grace, and form; others are sinister in appearance. Some appear in tales of mythology and superstition; others are merely regarded as agricultural pests. The great majority, however, remain largely unknown, coming into contact with humans mainly when their specialized habitats are destroyed. Over 20 species are now regarded as internationally endangered and some may disappear before we have a chance to learn much about them. This guide details all species of corvid, combining Steve Madge's authoritative text with 30 superb color plates by Hilary Burn. The text treats each species in depth, summarizing identification techniques and concisely reviewing all aspects of corvid behavior, distribution, population, and taxonomy. The color plates depict all 120 species, with each plate accompanied by an informative caption page containing color world-distribution maps and summaries of the criteria required to identify the species. Some of these, including the Banggar Crow, Mesopotamian Crow, and Flores Crow have never before been illustrated. Crows and Jays is both a source of scientifically accurate information and a user-friendly identification guide. It seeks to provide everyone, from birdwatchers to biologists, with a greater understanding of the lives of these fascinating yet very complex birds."

The Spirit of a King

Les Merton

2001

An illustrated collection of prose and poetry in honour of the Cornish Chough.

Mind Of The Raven: Investigations And Adventures With Wolf-Birds

Bernd Heinrich

2000

"An exploration of the intelligence of the Raven which addresses such questions as instinct vs. intelligence and the way the brain works. The findings are based on field observation, experiment and personal experience."

Biodiversity in Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Species Action Plans - Irish Hare, Chough, Curlew

Environment & Heritage Service

2000

Crows and Jays: A Guide to the Crows, Jays and Magpies of the World

Steve Madge and Hilary Burn

1999

"There are 120 species in the Corvid family, of which some are colourful and exotic and others are highly endangered. All species are illustrated and each plate is accompanied by an informative caption page summarizing the most important identification criteria, alongside colour distribution maps. The text provides a thorough review of all aspects of Corvid behaviour, distribution, population and taxonomy as well as the standard rigorous discussion of all matters relating to identification."

The Raven: A Natural History in Britain and Ireland

Derek Ratcliffe

Poyser / Princeton University Press

1997

"This book presents a thorough summary of the current state of knowledge regarding the Raven's natural history, describing its present distribution, habitat requirements, calls, feeding habits, social behavior, and population centers. An emphasis is placed on the long association of the bird with humans, and useful comparisons of the Northern Hemisphere species are made. Includes colour illustrations and maps."

The Scientific Bases for Preservation of the Mariana Crow

1997

"This book, while focusing on current preservation challenges posed by the Aga, or Mariana crow, also reflects the larger issues and challenges of biodiversity conservation in all oceanic island ecosystems. It evaluates causes for the continuing decline of the Aga, which exists on only the two southernmost islands in the Mariana archipelago, Guam and Rota, and reviews actions to halt or reverse the decrease. This book reminds us of the importance and challenge of preserving the unique environmental heritage of islands of the Mariana archipelago, the need for increased knowledge to restore and maintain native species and habitats, and the compelling and lasting value of extensive public education to stimulate environmentally informed public policy development."

Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays

Candace Sherk Savage

1997

From book jacket: "Examines the lives and behaviours of the highly intelligent members of the crow family, corvids, and includes 61 dramatic images from the world's top nature photographers."

Crows and Jays: A Guide to the Crows, Jays and Magpies of the World

Steve Madge

Christopher Helm

1994

"There are 120 species of crows, jays and their allies which exist in the world today, many are exceedingly beautiful in colour, grace and form, whereas others are black and sinister in appearance. In no other group of perching birds has evolution produced such a degree of variation, from the tiny Hume's Ground-Jay of the steppe-highlands of Tibet to the huge Thick-Billed Raven of the mountains of Ethiopia. Some have had a long association with man and appear in tales of mythology and superstition, others have been regarded as agricultural pests. The great majority, however, remain largely unknown, their only contact with man being the destruction of their specialized habitats. As a consequence, over 20 species are now regarded as internationally endangered, some before we know very much about them. This book treats each species in depth, summarizing identification techniques, and reviewing all aspects of corvid behaviour, distribution, population and taxonomy. The author had first-hand experience of most of the species during his travels through all the continent, travels in which he gradually became fascinated by this very special, but somewhat ignored, group of birds. The book is a combination of scientifically accurate information and identification guide, planned to give anyone, whether a birdwatcher or biologist, a greater understanding of the lives of these beautiful, yet very complex, group of birds."

The Pinyon Jay

John M. Marzluff and Russell P. Balda

1992

This book describes the biology and lifestyle of the Pinyon Jay and discusses the bird in the wider context of studies on bird ecology and evolution.

The Magpies: The Ecology and Behaviour of Black-billed and Yellow-billed Magpies

Tim Birkhead

Poyser

1991

This book deals with the Black-billed Magpie, which occurs throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and the Yellow-billed Magpie, which is confined to California. The author compares both species, and also the many different races, and reveals that through their remarkably flexible social behaviour magpies are able to exploit a diversity of habitats, from desert to farmland. The book covers many aspects of their lives including relationships, food hoarding behaviour, longevity and survival, nesting, breeding success, and their relationship with man.

Ravensong: A Natural And Fabulous History Of Ravens And Crows

Catharine Fehr-Elston

Northland Publishing

1991

"In this beautifully illustrated study, Catherine Feher-Elston looks at ravens and crows in the contexts of Native American folklore, history, and science. Through interviews with Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest and other native peoples, and drawing on the most recent ornithological research, Feher-Elston offers a well-rounded consideration of this enigmatic species, bringing to light its roles as messenger, symbol, harbinger, and totem."

The American Crow & Common Raven

Lawrence Kilham

W L Moody, Jr, Natural History Series

Texas A & M University Press

1989

An illustrated study of behaviour, biology and ecology of the American Crow and Common Raven. Based on the author's field observations and incorporating information available in the scientific literature o the time.

Ravens in Winter

Bernd Heinrich

1989

"A fascinating and important work of ornithology, which led E.O. Wilson to call it one of the most interesting discoveries I've seen in animal sociobiology in years, Ravens In Winter is a scientist s impassioned study to understand the mysterious social habits of one of nature s most formidable birds, the raven. Why do ravens, generally understood to be solitary creatures, share food between each other during winter? This was the question Bernd Heinrich asked himself as he was observing another one of his prime research subjects, the highly social bumblebee. And it was during these trips to Maine, the site of much of his research, where he first noticed this unusual behavior of ravens. From an evolutionary perspective, the raven's willingness to share food challenged conventional wisdom. There was no biological imperative, it seemed, to their communal spirit. The more Heinrich observed their habits, the more odd the bird's behavior became. What started as mere curiosity turned into an impassioned research project, and Ravens In Winter, the first research of its kind, explores the fascinating biological puzzle of the raven s rather unconventional social habits."

Choughs and Land-use in Europe

E. Bignal

1989

Proceedings of an international workshop on the conservation of the chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, in the EC. 11-14 November 1988.

Status and Distribution of the Florida Scrub Jay

Daniel Mckinley

Florida Ornithological Society

1987

Crows of the World

Derek Goodwin

Second edition

1987

The Florida Scrub Jay: Demography Of A Cooperative-Breeding Bird

Glen E Woolfenden, John W. Fitzpatrick

Princeton University Press

1985

"Florida Scrub Jays are an excellent example of a cooperative-breeding species, in which adult birds often help raise offspring not their own. For more than a decade Glen E. Woolfenden and John W. Fitzpatrick studied a marked population of these birds in an attempt to establish a demographic base for understanding the phenomenon of "helping at the nest." By studying both population biology and behavior, the authors found that habitat restraints, rather than kin selection, are the main source of the behavior of Florida Scrub Jays: the goal of increasing the number of close relatives other than descendants in future generations is of relatively minor importance in their cooperative-breeding behavior. The Florida Scrub Jay lives only in the Florida oak scrub. All acceptable habitat is constantly filled with breeders. Each year about half of the pairs are assisted by one to several nonbreeding helpers. This book provides extensive data on fecundity, survivorship, relatedness, and dispersal to establish the demographic milieu and to address questions arising out of observed helping behavior - whom, how, when, and why the helpers help."

The Molt Of Scrub Jays And Blue Jays In Florida

G. Thomas Bancroft and Glen E. Woolfenden

American Ornithologists' Union

1982

A 51 page study.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Materials
• Methods
• Scrub Jay Molts
• Blue Jay Molts
• Cost Curves For Molt By Jays In Florida
• Discussion
• Summary

Annual Variation of Daily Energy Expenditure by the Black-billed Magpie: A Study of Thermal and Behavorial Energetics

John N. Mugaas and James R. King

Cooper Ornithological Society

1981

Contents;

• Introduction
• Population and study area
• Rationale and methods of thermal analysis
• Nonmeteorological Variables
• Meteorological Variables
• Rationale and methods of time-activity and energy budget analysis
• Behavioral Categories
• Methods of Observation
• Energy Equivalents
• Calculation of Daily Energy Expenditure
• Statistical Treatment
• The thermal environment and its influence on the biology of the magpie
• Meteorological Measurements and the Microclimatic Set
• Calculation of Equivalent Blackbody Temperature and Its Variability
• Annual Cycle of Equivalent Blackbody Temperature in Specific Thermal Environments
• Time-activity and energy budgeting in the annual cycle
• Chronology of Events in the Annual Cycle
• Daily Time-Activity Budget
• Metabolic Cost of Activity
• Total Daily Energy Expenditure
• Discussion
• Thermal Tolerance and Geographic Distribution
• The Bout as an Index of Behavior
• Annual Cycle of Energy Expenditure
• Minimizing HTD Through Adaptive Use of Time and Energy
• Comparisons of Time Budgets of Black-billed and Yellow-billed Magpies
• Comparisons of Daily Energy Expenditure for Several Species
• Summary
• Acknowledgments
• Literature cited

Crows, Jays, Ravens and their relatives

Sylvia Bruce Wilmore

1979

Ravens, Crows, Magpies and Jays

Tony Angell

1978

A reference book on the Corvidae with 84 pen and ink drawings by the author.

The Crows: A Study of the Corvids of Europe

Franklin Coombs

1978

Crows of the World

Derek Goodwin

British Museum & Cornell Univ. Press

1976

"The opening part of this book is an introduction to the family and includes sections on biology, ecology, and behaviour. This is followed by individual accounts of 116 species."

Listen to the Crows

Laurence P. Pringle

1976

Discusses the language of the wary, clever crow.

The Cornish Chough

T. O. Darke

1971

"A 44 page study of the Chough in Cornwall with some black and white photographs. Contents include: The last Cornish Chough; The bird itself; Persecution; Other influences; Nature; The return."

The Breeding Biology of the Tufted Jay

Richard Crossin

1967

A 35 page study based on a thesis submitted in 1965 for the University Of Arizona.

Life Histories of North American Jays, Crows and Titmice, Vol. 1

Arthur Cleveland Bent

1947

First volume of the Jays, Crows and Titmice section of what was the definitive study of North American (United States, Canada, Mexico) birds. Information for the species includes description, habitat, range, life history, habits and relation to man.

Life Histories of North American Jays, Crows and Titmice, Vol. 2

Arthur Cleveland Bent

1947

Second volume of the Jays, Crows and Titmice section of what was the definitive study of North American (United States, Canada, Mexico) birds. Information for the species includes description, habitat, range, life history, habits and relation to man.

Black Wings: The Unbeatable Crow

Joseph Wharton Lippincott

J.B. Lippincott

1947

A fictional account of the life of a crow.

The Natural History of Magpies

Jean M. Linsdale

Cooper Ornithological Society

1937

From the introduction:

"The magpies are peculiarly suitable for an intensive study because they comprise a group which possesses many distinctive features of behavior and of structure. Many races have developed, and ‘these inhabit extensive areas in the northern hemisphere. Since the magpie, wherever it occurs, prefers to live close to man, and since it is of large size, for a passerine species, a great many detailed facts have been observed in its natural history. Much of this information has been published, but it is available only in scattered places and in several different languages. No previous attempt has been made to gather together and summarize this information. In central California, I have had opportunity over a period of several years to make first-hand observations in the field upon the well-marked yellow-billed form, Pica nuttallii, and to study it in practically its entire range. An opportunity has also been afforded me to make field studies on the black-billed race, Pica pica hudsonia, in various localities in its range in the western United States. Availability of both these birds for natural history study has been excellent."

The Indian Crow, His Book

Douglas Dewar

1906

From the preface:

"I offer no apology for producing this book. Far from it. I apologise for the previous neglect of the splendid bird by those naturalists who have already served their time in the Gorgeous East. Is it fitting, nay, is it decent, that the Crow who forms part and parcel of human existence in the Land of Regrets, should have no book he can call his own, no scroll upon which his doughty deeds are writ large? Horses - noble creatures, dogs - dear things, cats - obnoxious quadrupeds, pigeons - self- satisfied birds, fowls - estimable beings, and even whales - unwieldly monsters, have books devoted exclusively to them. Much more then should the Indian crow have his book. - Q.E.D. Lovers of the crow will doubtless read and cherish this booklet. Those who love not the 'treble-dated' bird will find in this brochure a most convenient missile to hurl at the offending bird."

Chough

J.A. Harvie-Brown

Educational Series No. 14

Society for the Protection of Birds

1890's

A 4 page guide that provides a brief description and information on distribution, numbers, food, characteristics, protection, plus two and a half pages of general remarks.

The Jay

John Cordeaux

Educational Series No. 15

Society for the Protection of Birds

1890's

A 4 page guide that provides a brief description and information on distribution, numbers, food, characteristics, protection, plus two pages of general remarks.

The Common Crow Of The United States

Walter B. Barrows and E. A. Schwarz

US Department of Agriculture

Government Printing Office

1895

From the opening lines:

The Common Crow is generally distributed from the southern border of the United States north to about latitude 03°. It is abundant in the well-watered regions of the East, but in the West it is rare or local in the arid country, which comprises most parts of the Great Plains, the Great Basin, and the deserts of the Southwest from Texas to California. In southern Florida the Common Crow differs slightly from the northern bird, and is known as the Florida Crow. Four other crows and ravens are found in the United States. Along the Atlantic Coast from Long Island southward the small Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) occurs with the Common Crow, while on the Pacific Coast from Washington northward the Northwest Crow (Corvus caurinus) is found. The Eaven (Corvus corax sinuatus) inhabits various parts of the United States. The White-necked Raven (Corvus cryptoleucus) is common locally in Arizona, New Mexico, and some other parts of the Southwest.

Catalogue Of The Passeriformes or Perching Birds In The Collection Of The British Museum

Catalogue Of The Birds In The British Museum, Volume III

R. Bowdler Sharpe

Printed By Order Of The Trustees

Printed by Taylor & Francis

1877

Preface:

"The Third Volume of the 'Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum ' has been prepared by Mr. R. B. Sharpe, one of the Senior Assistants in the Zoological Department, and author of the two preceding volumes. It contains the commencement of the account of all the species of Passerine Birds known at present; and as no similar monograph of these Birds has been published since the year 1850, it may be hoped that the present work will not only assist the numerous students of this portion of the British Museum collections, but also prove useful to ornithologists, travellers, and collectors."